


Skam: College AU

by ARivers610



Series: Skam: College AU [1]
Category: SKAM (Italy), SKAM (Italy) RPF, SKAM (Netherlands), SKAM (Norway), SKAM (TV) RPF, SKAM Austin, WTFock | Skam (Belgium)
Genre: Alternate Universe, College AU, F/M, Fanfic, Fanfiction, SKAM, SKAM - Freeform, SKAM inspired, Story, skam au, skam fanfic, skam s2, skam series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-03
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2020-02-16 20:37:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 69
Words: 114,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18698716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARivers610/pseuds/ARivers610
Summary: This is a story I wrote based off the Skam series. It's mostly season 2 centered but the characters are different and certain story lines are different or expanded upon. All of the characters are over 21, except for Erica/Vilde. Celeste is based off of Noora, Mina is based off of Eva, Nehemie is based off of Sana, Daisy is based off of Chris and Erica is based off of Vilde. I love the Skam series, especially how social media is a big part of it but, there were certain things I wished were explored more so this is my take on it.Enjoy :)





	1. Restart

“So are you excited about starting college?”

“Excited isn’t exactly the word I would use, more worried than anything but that’s normal.”

“True it is normal to have first day jitters but why do you think you’re worried?”

“Well, I’m not exactly good with people…I mean I feel like I’m not good with people so being in social situations makes me nervous.”

“Thank you for using the “I feel” statements even though I feel there’s some slight sarcasm in your voice.”

“Only a little, she smiled, I just want to get back to normal.”

“What does normal look like for you?”

“Well, uhh sleeping six hours a night, dreading the morning and talking to other people about how boring our professors are.”

“All things that you are capable of doing and having.”

“I hope so.”

“Okay let’s do a little exercise where we think of the worst case scenario and how you can handle it, okay, I nodded, okay let’s say you don’t get six hours of sleep what’s the worst that could happen?”

“I guess being late or not being in a good mood when I get up.”

“Okay we’ll start with being late, you’ve woken up with not much time, you feel rushed and you don’t get a good start to your morning. What can you do to calm yourself down?”

“Uhh listen to music while I’m on the bus.”

“That’s good, you can also restart your day before you even get to the college. Just tell yourself that you’re day starts now, whatever just happened that was yesterday.”

“But it wasn’t yesterday.”

“Celeste you can restart your day whenever you want, you being calm and listening to music on the bus is a better way to start your day, isn’t it?”

“Yeah I guess, so you want me to restart my day when something bad happens?”

“No just whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed, just try it for one day and count how many times you hit restart, okay?”

“Okay.”

OhhhStar17: “First day of classes, here we go.”

Photo credit : https://tittitruss.tumblr.com/post/173231221013


	2. Not Your Babe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste meeting Ian/William for the first time.

“Well most writers were male because they did things and had things to write about, women didn’t.”

“Right because women didn’t experience anything that was worthy of writing about.”

“I’m not saying that I’m saying men did more therefore they had more to write about.”

“Men had more to write about because the actually had rights but then I guess women fighting for their rights isn’t something you would want to read about because the only time you listen to women is when they’re telling you whatever you want to hear.”

“Okay, despite the overwhelming amount of male writers there were female writers as well who were well respected but for the first half of the semester we’ll be focusing on the men.”

Celeste started drawing on the edge of her notes while the professor discussed which short stories and books she would be reading. She was up to ten restarts of the day. The guy she got into a mini debate with looked over at her and winked, yuck make that eleven restarts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey uh this fell off your bag when you got up.” Ian stopped in front of her and held a pin from Celeste’s jacket between his fingers that said “not your babe” on it.

“Thanks.” She put the pin in her pocket and brushed past him.

“You know you could be?!” Ian yelled.

Celeste stopped walking and turned around. She knew whatever he was going to say was going to be smug,

“I could be what?”

He put his hands in his pockets and looked her up and down. She rolled her eyes as he approached her,

“My babe.” He leaned in.

Celeste scoffed and leaned away from him.

“Not even in your dreams, Ivan.” She bumped her shoulder into his and smiled to herself as she walked to her next class.

OhhhStar17: “It’s sad but not surprising.”

JuJuWearsA22: “More for me then :)”


	3. Hello Potential New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste meets Mina/Eva and we meet Julien/Eskild

“Okay as a little get to know your peers activity I’m going to give you a paper with three basic and five random questions on it. Your job is to pair up with someone and write down their answers. “

Celeste sighed and looked around the room. She stood up with her paper in her hand and walked towards the girl who came into class late.

“Hello, potential new friend.” Celeste waved.

The girl smiled and motioned to the chair in front of her,

“Hey, she looked Celeste up and down, cute shoes girl!”

Celeste sat down and motioned to the girls hair,

“Thanks, I love your hair.”

The girl laughed and tossed it over her shoulder,

“Thanks, it cost me like my whole paycheck but I think it was worth it. I’m Aminata but everyone calls me Mina.”

“I’m Celeste, look at that we already answered the first question.”

Mina wrote down Celeste’s name and looked over at Celeste’s paper,

“Wow you actually spelled it right, you’re like the only white girl to ever do that.” Mina laughed.

“Thanks, I feel honored but really it’s not that hard to spell you just need to sound it out. What your major Mina?”

“Business Management, I’m going to be the next Oprah. I’m going to be on T.V and have my own show and build my empire, how about you Celeste?”

Celeste stared at Mina with a blank expression on her face,

“I’m an English Major, I like writing so I guess I’ll work for a newspaper or something.”

“Well as a future Oprah, I’m going to give you some advice, Mina leaned in, you can do better because I can tell that’s not really whatcha wanna be doing. Dream bigger girl!”

“I just want to get through this semester before I think about the bigger picture.”

“Okay, fair enough but I see the potential, new friend.” Mina smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later on ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste kicked off her shoes, dropped her bag on the floor and hung up her jacket near the front door. She walked over to the fridge and opened it. Her leftover Lemon Pepper pasta was gone. Celeste sighed and shut the fridge,

“Julien!” she yelled and walked down the hall to his room.

Julien greeted her with a huge grin and completely naked,

“Yes my love bug.” he leaned up against the door frame.

Celeste pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes,

“Did you eat my leftovers…again?”

“Maybe, Celeste glared at him, I’m sorry I came home drunk last night and drunk me loves pasta.”

Celeste crossed her arms over her chest,

“Yeah well current me has had a long day and wants to eat pasta.”

“So does that mean you’re cooking tonight?” Julien clapped excitedly.

Celeste rolled her eyes and nodded,

“Yeah but it’s not a clothing optional event.”

“What are, Julien looked down and laughed, oh my god I totally forgot I was doing yoga.” He grabbed a towel off the back of his door and put it around his waist.

“You do yoga naked?”

“Yeah, don’t you?”

Celeste shook her head and walked back into the kitchen.

 


	4. Don't Just Stand There

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mina/Eva introduces Celeste/Noora to Daisy/Chris and Nehemie/Sana and we get to see the "girl gang" forming

Celeste awkwardly walked into the cafeteria and looked around the room for a place to sit. She was about to walk over to a table in the corner, by the vending machines, when she heard someone call out her name,

“Celeste, she turned towards the voice, over here girl!” Mina shouted and waved her over.

Celeste walked over and saw that all of the seats were occupied. The guy next to Mina was watching something on his computer. The girl across from her was painting her nails. And the other girl was flipping through her book and writing things down on am index card. She stood there and waved to the girl painting her nails. Mina motioned behind her,

“Don’t just stand there girl, pull a chair over.”

Celeste dragged a chair over and sat down on the outside of the table. The girl painting her nails stopped and looked up at Celeste,

“Hey I’m Daisy, welcome to the cool table.” She winked.

“Thanks, I’m Celeste.”

Mina leaned forward and motioned to the guy next to her,

“This is my boo, Malcolm, Malcolm looked up and nodded, and that’s Nehemie. She’s the mom of the group.”

Nehemie looked up from her book and narrowed her eyes at Mina,

“Girl I’m about to become your momma and slap that smile off your face.”

“Try it, Mina and Nehemie stared each other down until Nehemie laughed, sorry we’ve known each other since we were like five. Well I was five Nehemie was six.”

Celeste looked over at Nehemie and smiled,

“How old are you if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I’m 21, why how do I look?”

“A lot younger." Celeste said

Daisy looked up from her phone and tilted her head,

“How old are you ,20?”

Celeste shook her head.

“21?”Mina guessed

Celeste shook her head,

“I’m 23, Celeste laughed, and before anyone says anything I know I do not look my age.”

“Not at all but girl that just means you are going to be looking fine when your older.”

“Yeah you can totally be one of those cougar mom’s hitting on all those twenty year old's when you’re like forty.”

Celeste laughed and fell into a good rhythm with her new friends. She even managed to make Nehemie laugh which didn’t see possible at first. Out of all of them, Nehemie seemed the most guarded. She was stoned face most of the time. Daisy laughed at everything, she laughed so much that she cried. Mina spent a lot of her time trying to get her boyfriend to pay attention to her. Eventually she gave up and looked over at Celeste,

“We should probably get to class.”

Celeste stood up and said good bye,

“See you guys later, good luck with your flash cards Nehemie and your quest to find a dinosaur fossil Daisy.”

“I’m telling ya there’s one in my front yard. Y’all are gonna be so mad when I dig it up and become a millionaire, I’m telling ya right now.”

Mina leaned across the table and grabbed a chip out of the bag in front of Daisy,

“Chica you are loco, but you know I love you.” Mina winked.

Celeste smiled to herself as she walked with Mina out of the cafeteria and to their class.

Photo Credit: https://66.media.tumblr.com/2c09486b5eb81eda2305e9fd5c415a3b/tumblr_inline_pqosckg2ON1vf3vxo_400.png

 


	5. A Little Eye Candy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erica/Vilde joins the group, Celeste has a run in with Ian and learns more about him from one of the girls.

Mina shook up her orange juice and unwrapped her breakfast sandwich. Celeste normally didn’t like to eat breakfast before 9 o'clock but Mina’s sandwich was making her stomach growl.

“I think I’m going to go get something to eat before class.”

Celeste got up and walked over to the vending machine. Her only breakfast option was Pop tarts, not the healthiest option but it would do. She put her money in, pressed the correct number and knelt down to retrieve them.

“The strawberry ones are better.”

Celeste looked up at Ian and stood up,

“I don’t like the strawberry ones.” She glared.

“If you dip them in milk and eat it tastes like strawberry milk.”

“I don’t like strawberry milk.”

“What do you like Celeste?” He leaned forward.

“I like to be left alone.”

He held his hands up and backed away,

“As you wish.” He winked and walked away.

Celeste rolled her eyes and walked back over to Mina. She sat down and looked over at Ian who was talking to some girl with a doe eyed look in her eyes.

“Asshole, she muttered and looked up at Mina who was smiling, what?”

“Uh what was that all about?”

Celeste shook her head and opened her Pop tarts, she broke a piece off and offered it to Mina. Mina shrugged her shoulders and took it,

“It was nothing, just this prick from my class that won’t leave me alone” she broke a piece off for herself, ate it and looked over at Ian. He looked over the shoulder of the girl he was talking to and smiled at Celeste.

Mina looked over at Celeste then over at Ian,

“Okay whatever you say girl.”

“I’m going to be late for my class, Celeste stood up and put the rest of the Poptart in her mouth, I’ll see you later.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Out of the corner of Celeste’s eye she saw a girl standing in the middle of the cafeteria, holding her lunch tray and frantically looking around.

“I’ll be right back, she stood up and walked over to the girl, hey do you want to come sit with me and my friends, we don’t bite.”

The girl laughed nervously and nodded,

“Yeah that would be great. I’ve been eating lunch in the library for the past week and it made me realize how loud I eat.”

“Well we won’t judge you for that, Celeste reached her hand out, I’m Celeste by the way.”

“I’m Erica.”

Celeste pulled up a chair motioned for her to sit down. Nehemie looked over at Erica and shook her head,

“Uh oh, Celeste wants to add another white girl to the group.”

Erica looked over a Celeste with a worried expression. Celeste rolled her eyes and laughed,

“She’s just kidding don’t worry, Celeste introduced Erica to everyone, Erica that’s Mina, that’s Daisy and that’s Nehemie, she’s the sassy one of the group.”

“And don’t you forget it.” Nehemie snapped her fingers in a “Z” formation.

“Hey, what does that make me?” Daisy asked with salad dressing on the side of her mouth.

“You’re, Mina laughed and handed her a napkin, one of a kind.”

Daisy wiped her face and smiled. Erica laughed and said,

“I guess that makes me the new girl?”

“Well to be fair we’re all pretty new, except Mina and Nehemie, they’re old friends.” Celeste said because she could sense some uneasiness from Erica.

“Speaking of old friends, Mina and the rest of the girls looked to their right, there’s you secret admirer.”

Celeste rolled her eyes and made a disgusted noise. Erica looked over her shoulder,

“He’s your secret admirer?”

Celeste glared at Mina and shook her head,

“No, he’s just this guy in my class who thinks his presence is a gift when really it’s just annoying.”

“I don’t know, Erica smiled, I’m not annoyed by him being here. I mean come ‘on I think we can all agree he’s some delicious eye candy, everyone nodded except for Celeste, I want to know everything about him.”

“His name is Ian, everyone’s gaze snapped to Daisy, what I went to school with him. He was in the same grade as my brother. He got in trouble a lot and made out with the entire girls’ soccer team because of a dare.”

“Lovely, Celeste rolled her eyes, clearly he hasn’t changed since high school.”

“Yeah he actually didn’t graduate, he had to leave school. I don’t remember why though.”

“I’m not surprised; everyone glared at Celeste, what I’m just not attracted to guys like him. I’m sorry but I just don’t see the appeal.” Celeste said as she watched Ian walk out of the cafeteria with his arm draped around some girl.

“Hey Daisy, do you know his last name.”

“Reyes, I think.”

Erica picked up her phone, typed something into it and smiled,

“There I just followed him on Instagram. I need a little more eye candy in my life.”

photo credit :https://silkfae.tumblr.com/post/145461081887


	6. FEAR

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste has a therapy appointment where we learn more her past and why she feels so negatively towards Ian

FEAR  
“So how did your first week go?”

Celeste silenced her phone and stuck it in her pocket,

“It was pretty good, my classes seem manageable and my teacher said I should submit something to the school newspaper.”

“That’s great, being a part of the newspaper will give you another creative outlet to express yourself.”

“Yeah I agree, I think I’m going to do it. I just don’t know what I’m going to write about.”

“Write about what you know and what experiences you’ve had. It can be very therapeutic.”

Celeste sensed that her therapist, Teresa, was trying to get her to write about some of the things she avoided talking about in therapy. Celeste had been in therapy for a about a year and in that time she hardly mentioned her mother or her issues with intimacy.

“I made some friends, Celeste interjected to change the subject, they’re younger than me but then again I think most people at the college are.”

“Does that bother you, that you’re older than them?”

Celeste shook her head and played with the lace on the sleeves of her shirt,

“No, not really, she stopped fidgeting, I don’t really feel or look my age so it doesn’t really bother me.”

“I see, oh did you try the restart method I told you about?”

“I did for the first day, and then I kind of forgot.”

“That’s okay, how did it go when you tried it?”

“It went okay, I had a lot of restarts in my first class because of this asshole. You know those people who make you groan before they even open their mouths, well that’s him.” She crossed her arms over her chest and sat back in the chair.

“What did this guy do to upset you?”

“He just, she stopped and sighed, he reminded me of the guys I grew up with.”

“You mean your friends from when you were younger?”

“Yeah, he’s just so arrogant and he keeps flirting with me even though I’m not interested.”

“When he flirts with you, how does it make you feel? Are you uncomfortable with the attention?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“A little, I’m more annoyed than anything because he’s just like every other guy trying to get into my pants.”

“Is that a fear you have with all guys that come into contact with that’ll they expect something from you? Is it because of your past experiences with guys?”

Celeste chewed on her bottom lip and avoided her therapists gaze,

“I don’t know, maybe, she looked up at the clock, my time is up.” She stood up and grabbed her book bag.

“Okay, I’ll see you same time next week.”

image https://66.media.tumblr.com/7fe82483bdbda8f28a6cb24b08324fcd/tumblr_inline_pqre4tKwBl1vf3vxo_250.png


	7. Rejection Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste experiences rejection and so does Ian (The fucking hell you're beautiful scene)

“They rejected my article!” Celeste sat down on the bench and slammed her article down.

“What, why did they do that, I thought it was great, Mina took the paper from Celeste and read the comments, they said it didn’t resonate with the readers?”

“Yeah because apparently the only thing people care about are sports and whether or not the coffee machine works in the cafeteria.”

Nehemie shook her head and took the paper from Mina,

“That isn’t right, you wrote about something that every woman experiences every day. I cannot tell you how many times a day I have to fight the urge to smack some guy because they’re staring at my hijab.” Nehemie handed the paper to Erica who gave Celeste an apologetic look and handed it back to her.

“Well apparently they don’t care about that and my article was too polarizing. The “male gaze” is really about more than just men but whatever I’m not going to write about something dumb just to get published in the college newspaper.”

“You should just make your own newspaper and write whatever you want, Daisy gasped, or you can make a blog. I would totally read it.” She reached across the table and took a French fry off Mina’s plate.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So what do you think?” Celeste asked.

“I mean it sounds cool but do you think anyone besides us are going to be interested in it?” Mina scooted closer to Celeste to avoid getting plowed over by the rush of people coming out of their classes.

“Yeah, I think there are a lot of unheard voices on campus. I mean both publications at the college are run by guys and the majority of their stories have to do with athletics and most of their contributors are men.”

Celeste knew she sounded preachy but it was the truth. When she met with the people who ran the newspaper she felt outnumbered.

“True but are you sure you’re not doing this because they rejected your article?” Mina stated even though she already knew the answer.

“Okay that might be a factor but it’s in the college handbook, we’re allowed to start our own club as long as we have five people in it.”

“Awesome, oh I was thinking of a name, how about Girl Gang?” Mina suggested.

“I don’t know if the college will approve that, they might think we’re an actual gang and we’re planning to pop caps in people’s asses.” Celeste pretended to shoot a fake gun.

“We are, we’re going to pop a cap into the ass of the patriarchy!”

Celeste laughed and bumped her shoulder into Mina’s,

“Shh don’t reveal our plans.” Celeste whispered.

“Hey Celeste, she walked faster dragging Mina with her, can you slow down a sec?”

Ian stopped in front of her and put his hand up,

“What do you want, Ivan?” Celeste rolled her eyes.

“I want you to come to my house after class so we can do our, he licked his lips, homework together.”

She made a disgusted face and shook her head,

“Well I want world peace so I guess we both want things were not going to get in this lifetime.”

“So you’re saying…no.” Ian acted as if he didn’t hear Celeste correctly.

Celeste looked over at Mina and laughed. Mina shrugged her shoulders and stepped back.

“Yes, I’m saying no, Celeste stepped closer, so give up and find your next victim because it isn’t going to be me.”

“See here’s thing about me, I never give up and I like a challenge.” He said stepping closer.

“Is that it, is that your winning line?” Celeste glared and clicked her tongue.

“No, just one more thing, he stepped closer, closer than Celeste liked but she didn’t step back, you’re so god damn beautiful.”

She didn’t blink, she just stared at him. Nothing witty came to her mind so Celeste reached back, grabbed Mina’s arm, and walked away.

“Girl, what was that about?! I thought y’all were going to kiss for a second!” Mina made a kissy face at Celeste and poked her sides.

“Stop that, Celeste pushed her hands away, It’s nothing, he was just kidding.” Celeste looked at Ian over her shoulder

“That was not a joke, he was giving you them eyes.” Mina teased.

“What eyes?” Celeste widened her eyes and leaned in.

“The “I’m undressing you slowly in my mind and loving what I’m seeing” eyes, I mean shit I even felt it.” Mina shivered.

“I didn’t feel anything.” Celeste folded her arms across her chest.

“I mean now I know why Erica is stalking him.”

“What do you mean stalking him?”

Mina pulled out her phone and showed Celeste a picture of Ian in the cafeteria with a heart emoji’s around him and “Bae looking cute while eating.” Written underneath it

“Ugh we need to find her someone better to obsess over, Ivan is the prime example of guys she should avoid.” Celeste handed Mina back her phone and held the door open for her into the cafeteria.

“I thought his name was Ian.” Mina turned towards Celeste.

“It is but I call him Ivan because I read somewhere that men feel emasculated when their names are mispronounced.”

“Wow, that’s kind of genius and so simple.” Mina looped her arm with Celeste’s.

“Thank you.” Celeste smiled and walked with Mina over to their lunch table where Erica, Daisy and Nehemie were already waiting.

 

image https://66.media.tumblr.com/e7fbe7df8ed1b5695c1dce4f359a8020/tumblr_inline_pqsy4cgPTc1vf3vxo_250.png

 


	8. Bitches Be Crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls make plans to go to a club. We get some Celeste and Julien banter. Ian embarrasses Celeste in class

Erica perked up when Celeste and Mina sat down,

“Good you guys are here now, okay so how does everyone feel about going to a club this weekend!”

Daisy and Mina nodded but Celeste and Nehemie didn’t seem too excited.

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“I’m just not a “club” person. Sorry but I think I’m going to pass.”

Nehemie nodded,

“Me too.”

“Oh come ‘on Neh, just tell your parents you’re staying over at my place.”

“And what will you be telling your parents Aminata?” Nehemie using Mina’s full name made her sound even more like the mother of the group.

“I’ll tell them we’re having a sleepover at your place. It’ll be just like that time we went to New York to see Drake and that turned out fine.”

“Us missing our bus, you losing your money and making us stay at some rent by the hour motel is not my definition of fine.”

“But that won’t happen because Celeste said that she lives on he own, everyone looked at Celeste, so can we stay with you this weekend?”

“Sure but I don’t know if I want to go out.”

“Please Celeste, Mina begged then Erica joined in, we need the whole gang.”

“Okay fine, but I have to ask my roommate.”

“Who’s your roommate?” Daisy asked

“His name is Julien, I found him on craigslist and he hasn’t killed me yet so he’s a pretty good roommate.”

“You live with a guy that you met on craigslist?” Erica shouted

“Is he cute?” Daisy asked

“He is and he is also very, very gay so there’s no need to worry about anything other than him possibly stealing your clothes.”

“Well that settles it, we’ll get ready at Celeste’s, drive over to the club and crash at her place, Erica shrugged her shoulders, as long as it’s okay with your roommate.”

Celeste sighed and nodded,

“I’ll ask him tonight but, Celeste pointed to Erica before she could celebrate, when one of us is ready to leave we all leave together, okay?”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later on~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste decided to take a break from her school work and do something that would relax her, paint. She threw on an old t-shirt of hers that was already splattered with paint, a pair of Soffe shorts, also covered in paint, and pulled her hair into a pony tail at the top of her head.

She laid down her white tarp, turned on some music and let her paint brush glide across the blank canvas. Her go to thing to paint was birds or flowers but this time she just started painting lines and dripping paint onto the canvas. Celeste picked up the canvas and slowly rotated it. The pinks and purples swirled together with the blue. She decided to leave the one corner completely free of paint. She dipped a thinner paint brush into some brown paint and painted a bird with its wings spread out. Underneath it she wrote with her fancy paint pen,

Be like a bird, fly forwards not backwards

When Julien came home, Celeste showed him her painting.

“I like the Jackson Pollock vibes, not crazy about the bird, Celeste rolled her eyes, but then again I can barely draw stick figures so who am I too judge. I love it.”

“Thanks, so how was work?”Celeste asked.

“It was okay, clam chowder girl called off again. So I had to stick around until thick ass Tony came in.” Julien smiled and grabbed a plate to warm up the leftover chicken and rice.

“I know why you call Tony, thick ass Tony but why do you call that girl clam chowder girl again?”

“Because it was the first thing she dropped when she started working, Celeste smiled and nodded, oh and how was school today? Did you learn anything?” he popped it in the microwave for 90 seconds.

Celeste shrugged her shoulders ,

“It was okay, oh by the way some of my friends want to go out on Saturday so I told them they can crash here afterwards, is that okay with you.”

Julien jumped up and hugged Celeste,

“Yes of course it’s okay, he flung her back and forth, I’m so happy you’re making friends.”

Celeste laughed and pushed him away,

“JuJu, you act like I’m some shut in who never wants to leave the house and would love nothing more than to lay on the couch and, Celeste stopped and nodded, okay so I guess that is pretty much me.”

“But not anymore, this weekend you’re going out, maybe next weekend you’ll finally get laid.” Julien clapped his hands together.

Celeste sighed and shook her head,

“I don’t need to get laid Julien.”

“Oh really, he walked into the living room and grabbed the remote, let’s check and see what you’ve been watching on Netflix, shall we?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“When you’re sexually frustrated you watch Marvel movies because you’ve got the hots for the three Chris’s, Evans, Hemsworth and Pratt.”

“No I don’t, Celeste lunged at Julien for the remote, okay you’ve made you’re point. But it still doesn’t matter.”

Julien backed off,

“Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry I brought it up, he put his arm around her, you can do or not do whoever you want. Besides, one of us in this apartment should be welcomed at the pearly gates.” He winked and nudged his shoulder into hers.

“Nah, I’m already going to hell for laughing at old people falling down in those life alert commercials.”

“Did you ever see the video where someone takes clips from the commercials and adds music to it?”

“Yes, but let’s watch them anyway.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“The feminist voice of Sylvia Plath can be heard in her writing and told through her life, Celeste cleared her throat and looked down at her note cards, an examples of her feminist voice can be found in her poem Lady Lazarus which ends with the words, out of the ash I rise with my red hair and I eat men like air, Celeste looked up from her note cards and saw Ian smiling at her, even at the young age of 17 Sylvia wasn’t interested in the traditional roles that women had during that time. She wrote, I am afraid of getting older. I am afraid of getting married. Spare me from cooking three meals a day, spare me from the relentless cage of routine and rote. I want to be free I want to think, to be omniscient.”

Celeste put her note cards down and used the rest of her time to show images of Sylvia in a PowerPoint.

“Okay thank you Ms. Drummer, that was very informative. Does anyone have any questions, just as she was about to go sit down, a hand shot up in the air, Ian do you have a question for Celeste?”

Celeste clenched her jaw and let out an audible sigh. Ian nodded and leaned forward in his seat,

“Yeah I was wondering why you didn’t mention the fact that she was mentally ill?”

“Well because it doesn’t have anything to do with her being a feminist. If this was a Psych class I would’ve mentioned it. Unless you think they’re connected?”

Everyone turned and looked at Ian. He shook his head,

“I’m not saying they’re connected but maybe there is some truth to the saying, bitches be crazy.”

A few people in the class laughed but the teacher stopped it from going any further,

“Okay let’s keep the questions relevant and stop using terms like bitch to describe women.”

“My apologies Ms. Anderson and Celeste, I should have phrased the question better.”

His apologetic smile was enough for the teacher but Celeste stuck her lip up in disgust and took her seat.

After class the teacher handed Celeste her paper back and the grade she got on her presentation,

“You’re paper was great I just wish you would have brought that in a little more with your presentation but overall you did a good job. Keep it up!”

Celeste smiled and took her paper from the teacher. An A- wasn’t a bad grade but if it weren’t for the presentation part of the assignment she would have gotten higher than a 90%. She walked out of class with her head down reading the comments on her paper. Someone in front of her held the door for her,

“Thanks.” She said without looking up.

“You’re welcome Ms. Drummer.”

Celeste shook her head and turned around to face Ian,

“Don’t say my name like that.” Celeste straightened her back to appear taller and louder than she actually was.

“Like what?” Ian put his hands in his pockets and leaned in.

“Like, Celeste waved her hands in front of his face, that. Like everything you say has some hidden motive. It’s creepy and weird.”

“Whatever you say, he looked down at her paper then up to her face, good job by the way.” He winked and brushed past her.

 

image https://66.media.tumblr.com/4a6b6f4fe895849a4980d1ff5fc4bbbc/tumblr_inline_pquciuT4Qr1vf3vxo_250.png


	9. Yellow Peep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls get ready for their night out. Celeste realizes Ian's "plan"

“So I was thinking this, Erica held up a yellow off the shoulder romper with a ruffle across the shoulder, with these heels. What do you think?” Erica asked Mina who was using Celeste’s mirror to apply her makeup.

“Wow that is very yellow.”

“Is that bad or good?”

“I don’t know, Mina applied some pink lipstick, to match her pink dress, and grabbed a tissue, try it on.”

Erica went into Celeste’s closet and changed behind the door. Celeste looked down at what she was wearing and felt under dressed. Even Nehemie was wearing a grey long sleeved dress. Erica came out and did a turn,

“How does it look?”

“You’re making me hungry.” Daisy said as she straightened her hair.

Erica laughed and sat down on Celeste’s bed,

“Why does it make you hungry?”

“Because you remind me of a peep.” Daisy smiled over her shoulder.

Celeste sat down on the bed beside her,

“I think it looks cute on you, on me it wouldn’t look good.”

Daisy finished her hair and offered to do Celeste’s hair,

“I promise nothing crazy, just maybe add some curls. What do you normally do to your hair?”

“Uh, you’re looking at it. It’s this or a ponytail.”

Nehemie stood up and walked over to the corner of Celeste’s room where her paintings were propped up next to her bookshelves.

“Celeste, did you paint these?”Nehemie held up a painting of a blue bird on the branch of a tree.

Celeste tried to look over at Nehemie but Daisy was brushing out her hair and jerking her head to the left,

“Yeah I painted them.”

“They’re really good, like really good. Why don’t you hang them up or sell them?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“I don’t know I guess it’s nothing something I’ve thought about. I just like painting them.”

“Knock Knock, Julien came in, walked over to the bed and laid down on his stomach, how are we doing in here?”

“Pretty good, did you know that you’re living with Pablo Picasso?” Nehemie picked up another painting.

“Oh I know, Celeste is like annoyingly good at a lot of things. She paints, she takes pictures, she cooks, she dances and she folds my clothes when I accidentally leave them in the dryer.” Julien blew Celeste a kiss.

“You dance?” Mina whipped her head around.

“I used to but I don’t anymore, Daisy finished Celeste’s hair by spraying it with a little hairspray, you should have warned me. I can taste it, bleh.” Celeste coughed and cleared her throat.

“Sorry, Daisy fixed one of her curls then clapped her hands together, okay you’re done.”

“What kind of dancing? Show us!” Erica shouted.

They all started chanting show us until Celeste gave in,

“Okay okay, she did a couple spins and moved her body in a fluid motion, bending her body to the left and extending her right leg out as far as she could then ended with another turn, there happy?”

Daisy took three ten dollar bills out of her bra and threw it up in the air. Celeste laughed and picked it up off the floor. Nehemie shook her head and mumbled something under her breath.

“Alright so are you guys going to pre-game?” Julien asked.

“I think the better question is who here is 21?” Celeste stated and handed Daisy back her money.

Nehemie,Mina, Daisy Celeste and Julien raised their hands.

“Really, Erica pouted, I’m the only one not 21?”

“As long as you don’t get sloppy drunk, you can pregame but I’m keeping track of how many you have.” Celeste said to Erica.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~At the club~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Wow this place is awesome!” Erica shouted.

Celeste looked around the club at all the people making poor decisions. There were bodies grinding against bodies, mouths touching every area of exposed skin and hands fist pumping in the air.

“It’s a little loud, Celeste winced, how did you hear about this place Erica?”

“Ian told me, we’ve been DMing each other back and forth and he told me I should come here and to bring my girls, Erica waved, look there he is.”

Celeste and Mina exchanged a glance as Ian walked over.

“Hey I’m glad you came, he hugged Erica and looked at Celeste over her shoulder, really glad.” He winked.

Celeste rolled her eyes and grabbed Mina’s hand,

“Can you come with me to the bathroom?”

She nodded and followed Celeste to the bathroom leaving Erica to drool over Ian. It was quiet enough that they could have a conversation and she actually had to use the bathroom too.

“Ugh I can’t believe him, Celeste washed her hands aggressively, he’s such an asshole he’s only talking to Erica to get to me.”

“Are you sure, maybe he’s actually into her?”

Celeste shook her head,

“It’s classic manipulation, he’s not getting enough out of me so now he’s using her, how do I tell without sounding like a bitch?”

Mina dried off her hands and handed Celeste some paper towels,

“I don’t know girl, she checked her lipstick in the mirror, you’re on your own there.”

Celeste sighed and looked at herself in the mirror,

“Great.”

Celeste walked back into the club with Mina and looked around for Erica,

“Where’d they go?”

“Uh girl, Mina gripped Celeste’s arm and turned her around, maybe you were wrong?”

Nehemie and Daisy came up behind them,

“What are you looking…oh damn!” Daisy yelled.

Celeste felt a lump form in her throat as she watched Ian and Erica making out.

“I’m going to get something to drink.” Celeste said as she turned away and pushed her way pass her friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A little while later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Look dude, I’m not interested okay!”

He gave her a look like she spoke to him in a different language.

“Is this guy bothering you?” Celeste heard behind her.

She turned around and faced Ian. He stood there with his chest all puffed out looking like he was ready for a fight. Celeste didn’t need him to fight this drunken guy for her. If the drunken guy touched her ass one more time she was going to knee him in the balls.

“No more than you are right now.”

The drunk guy stumbled away to go find some other girl to rub up on. Ian laughed and shook his head,

“Whatever I was just trying to help.”

“Well thanks for your help, she put her hand on his shoulder, even though I didn’t need it or ask for it.”

His gaze jumped from her face to her hand. She quickly removed it and looked away from him.

“Anytime oh and by the way, he smirked, you look great tonight.”

Celeste opened her mouth to yell at him and let Ian know she knew exactly what he was doing but the words never made it out of her mouth. The longer her stared at her the more her cheeks blushed,

“Yeah, well, she rolled her eyes, you look like crap.” she backed away from him and mentally slapped herself for getting so tongue tied in front of him.

image https://66.media.tumblr.com/b8df6e6b6899a10311785acbd78531eb/tumblr_inline_pqwm3gIUsY1vf3vxo_250.png  
NehNeh392: “Sleepover with the girls.”


	10. Sunday Flea Market

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste has a sleepless night and goes to a flea market with Julien

“I mean I have never felt anything like that before. When he kissed me I felt it all over, Erica leaned in, I mean all over.”

Celeste rolled her eyes and pulled out the extra blankets from her closet. The inflatable mattress was being pumped up for whoever wanted it. It was something they should have done before they left. Mina was already sleeping in Celeste’s bed and Daisy was groaning about how much she drank,

“Don’t ever let me have that blue drink again.” Daisy said as she laid her head on Nehemie’s lap.

“I think having one was okay but four was a little much.” Nehemie laughed as she rubbed Daisy’s back.

“So do you think I should send Ian a message now or wait till tomorrow?” Erica asked.

“Why are you going to text him?” Celeste said sounding more jealous than she wanted to.

“You know as just a follow up and it leaves the option open for more make out sessions.”

“How do you know he’s not already making out with someone else, Erica’s excitement fades and Celeste feels bad, sorry I don’t mean to be a bitch but I wouldn’t waste a text on Ian. If he wants to see you, he will.”

“Yeah your right.” Erica yawned and laid down on the mattress.

Celeste turned out the light and laid down next to Mina who was still in her dress. She pulled the cover up and spread it out so that Mina was covered too.

As tired as Celeste was she didn’t get to sleep for a long time. She couldn’t stop thinking about Erica’s hands in Ian’s hair. The image of them making out made her toss and turn so much that Mina woke up,

“Celeste, are you okay?”

She nodded and turned away from Mina,

“Yeah I’m fine, sorry I woke you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What do you think of this?” Julien held up a button up shirt with swirls of color and a studded collar.

Celeste shrugged and scrunched up her nose,

“Uhh I don’t know if you can pull that off.”

“I’ll take that as a challenge. “Julien away turned dramatically and walked over to the vendor.

Celeste rolled her eyes and kept browsing the clothing rack in front of her. She looked around the flea market and let out a comfortable sigh. She loved going to flea markets because it reminded her of her childhood. Her mom and her would wake up early in the morning, go to a flea market just like the one Celeste was at and browse around for hours. Her mother taught her how to haggle prices. She taught Celeste a lot that she probably didn’t even remember.

“Excuse me, Celeste walked over to the vendor and held up a white turtle neck shirt that was slightly cropped, how much is this?”

The guy looked at her then looked at the shirt,

“For a pretty girl like you, he licked his lips, five bucks?”

Celeste clicked tongue against her teeth,

“Hmm, I don’t know, would you possibly take 3 dollars for it?” The corners of her mouth curled into a smile.

“Yeah, he smiled, for you I will.”

Celeste forced a smile as the guy stared at her. She handed the guy three dollars and he handed her the shirt,

“Thank you miss, have a good day.” he grabbed a hold of her hand.

“Thanks, you too.” She pulled her hand away and fought the urge to look over her shoulder.

 

photo credit: https://joannarahier.com/summer-2019-style/


	11. Sweet And Naive Little Celeste

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erica and Ian get closer which sparks some jealousy in Celeste

“Sup bitches, Celeste plopped her book bag down on the table and sat down between Daisy and Mina, what are we all staring at?”

“Erica has been in the car with that fool Ian for 23 minutes and counting.” Nehemie looked at her watch and shook her head disapprovingly.

“Doing what?” Celeste asked.

“Sweet and naive little Celeste.” Mina pinched Celeste’s cheek and laughed. Celeste pushed her hand away and rolled her eyes,

“I’m not that naive I just don’t get making out with someone in a car for almost half an hour, gross and especially with Ian, that guy is such an asshole.”

Daisy took Celeste’s hand lotion out of her book bag, used it and offered it to the others,

“Well look on the bright side, at least he’s not obsessing over you anymore?” Mina said.

“He’s not obsessed with me, he just wants what he can’t have.”

“Just like every other guy.” Nehemie said

“You got that right girl.”

Celeste high fived Nehemie and ignored the eye rolls from Daisy and Mina. At least there was one girl in the group not completely obsessed with hooking up. Erica got out of Ian’s car and walked towards them. Her usual sleek blonde hair was tangled and her lipstick was smeared all around her mouth.

“Hey guys, she sat down and proudly displayed the hickey on her neck, what’s up?”

Celeste felt a twinge of…jealousy maybe because Erica looked so genuinely happy and Celeste didn’t get how having someone suck on your neck could make anyone feel proud.

“Nothing much, so how are things with Ian?” Daisy asked excitedly.

Celeste elbowed Daisy and shook her head. She was tired of hearing how wonderful Ian was.

“Great, better than great. We’ve been hanging out a bunch.” Erica clapped excitedly and looked at Celeste.

Celeste could fake being excited for her but she couldn’t keep her mouth shut,

“Erica, are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Yeah, it’s fine we’re just messing around. It’s no big deal.”

Celeste took a deep breath and looked at Mina who looked away, Nehemie who shook her head, and Daisy who was busy taking a picture of her coffee. It was up to Celeste to give Erica a dose of medicine with her sugar.

“Fine but don’t be surprised when you see him flirting with other girls because guys like Ian…

Before Celeste could say anything else Nehemie jumped in,

“Before Celeste starts lecturing, Nehemie stood up with her book bag, I gotta go, goodbye my darlings.” She blew everyone a kiss and headed towards her car.

The conversation turned to assignments and things Celeste could actually talk about but she couldn’t stay for too long because she needed to catch the bus. Before Celeste left she pulled Erica aside,

“Look I know you want me to be happy for you and I am, she smiled then it faded, but I also don’t want to see you get hurt, okay?”

photo credit: <https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ad/91/e2/ad91e2bd96b6d04508e2aee7551a9d68.jpg>


	12. A Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian shows Celeste some kindness

Celeste ran with her art folder in one hand, her phone in her other and her book bag weighing her down. The rain was picking up, her shoes were soaking wet and she was almost a hundred percent sure she missed the bus. Celeste got to the stop and checked the time on her phone. She was six minutes late and the bus station was 4 blocks away.

Celeste stood at the corner waiting to cross when a big truck whizzed by her and sprayed gross rain water and gravel from the road,

“Son of a bitch.” she screamed and looked down at her jacket which looked darker and smelled like sewage. The hood of her sweatshirt wasn’t doing much to keep her head dry either. She peered down at her art folder and saw water dripping off of it.

When Celeste got the green light she sprinted across the street. The rain turned to sleet and pinged off the sidewalk. She kept her head down and listened to music to drown out any people she passed by. Celeste saw a car pull up alongside her out of the corner of her eye and walked faster. The car matched her speed,

“Hey, you need a ride?”

She kept her head down and walked faster.

“Hello!”

Celeste took a deep breath, gathered all of the insults she could muster and turned towards the car. What came out of her mouth was an exasperated sigh, it was Ian in the car.

“What do you want?” She asked.

He leaned his head out the window and motioned to his car,

“Hop in, I’ll give you a ride.”

“No thanks, I’m fine.”

“Celeste, it’s pouring, he laughed, come’on it’s just a ride.”

Celeste sighed and looked up at the sky, the rain was coming down even faster and since she was already wet every rain drop that touched her face felt like an ice cube hitting her.

“Fine, Celeste walked around the front of his car and got in the passenger seat, you can just drop me off at the bus station.”

“You take the bus?”

She didn’t like his tone, it was judgey but not surprising. His car screamed that his mommy or daddy bought it for him for his birthday or Christmas or just because. His hands and nails looked more manicured than a stay at home housewife and his clothes looked like something out of fuck boy magazine, the only thing he was missing was a backwards hat.

“Yeah, I take the bus but don’t worry I won’t get my poor all over your car.”

“Nope, just rain water, he looked at her and laughed, did you fall into a puddle or what?”

Celeste sighed and rubbed her hands up and down her arms,

“Can you just drive me to the bus station please?!”

“Forget the bus station, I’ll just drive you home. So where am I going?”

“Uh um…Brooke Mansion Apartments.”

“Mansion, doesn’t sound very poor too me, he handed her his phone, here put your address in so I know where I’m going.”

The longer Celeste was in the car with Ian the more she regretted his kind offer. Being in that close proximity to him or any guy made her nervous. It didn’t help that he reminded her of the guys she grew up with. But he was being nice and giving her a ride home so Celeste tried to focus on that and not how close his hand was to hers. Celeste moved her arm off the arm rest and kept it tight against her.

“Yeah the name is misleading, the actual mansion is in the nice part of town.”

It grew silent between them which was fine by Celeste but apparently not okay with Ian,

“Wow, man it’s really coming down out there. It feels like it’s been raining for three days straight. It’s crazy, I might need my dad’s boat to get to class. So have you picked a topic yet? I’m thinking about…”

“Oh my god, do you ever shut up?”

He sighed and rolled his eyes,

“Okay, never mind we’ll just sit here in silence for, Ian looked at the navigation on his phone, 13 more minutes.”

“Fine.” She said.

“Fine.” He said in a mocking tone.

Celeste pursed her lips to keep from smiling. He glanced over at her and his lips curled into a grin. Celeste bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing. His likableness was contagious but Celeste knew better than to let her guard down. She turned away from him and kept her defenses up.

“You can just let me out here.” Celeste said with her hand already on the handle.

“GPS says we’re a block away, he turned towards her, do you not want me to know where you live Celeste?”

“Not really, she laughed, I’m worried you might come stalk me.”

He shook his head like she said the most ridiculous thing in the world and pulled the car over,

“What, why would I stalk you?” He said it in a way that hurt Celeste, like the idea of him being interested in her was laughable. Celeste shook her head and looked over at him,

“Are you kidding me? Are you really going to sit there and pretend like you haven’t hanging out with Erica just to get to me?”

“Erica and I are just having fun, he lowered his voice, haven’t you ever had fun before.” He smirked and put emphasis on the word fun.

Celeste looked away from him and felt a blush creep up her face. She grabbed her stuff, opened the door and slammed it shut without looking back or saying anything else to Ian.


	13. Blame The Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste asks Julien to keep a secret and plans to meet up with the girls the next day

Celeste came in the door, threw her stuff down and took off her soaking wet coat.

“Ugh he’s such an asshole, we’re having fun haven’t you had fun before, Celeste said in a mocking tone and hung up her jacket, haven’t you ever heard of herpes is what I should have said!” she shouted and turned towards the kitchen where Julien was eating a bowl of cereal.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

Celeste let out an audible sigh and nodded,

“Yeah, it’s just the weather.”

Julien looked at the clock and gave Celeste a confused look,

“Wait you’re home early, did you get an earlier bus?”

Celeste walked over to the counter, grabbed a glass and filled it with water. She took and sip and leaned up against the counter.

“Uh no I got a ride.” She avoided Julien’s gaze and drank more water.

“Oh did one of the girls give you a ride home?”

Celeste turned her back to Julien and washed out her glass,

“No it was someone from class.” She washed the cup with her hands and placed it in the drying rack.

“Oh you made another new friend?”

“Hardly, she scoffed and turned to face him, do you remember that guy Ian?”

Julien never met Ian but every time Erica came over his name came up in their conversations,

“Yeah, the one Erica couldn’t stop talking about.”

“Yeah that’s the one.” Celeste tried to walk away but Julien grabbed her arm to stop her from leaving.

“Is there something going on between you two?”

Celeste scrunched up her face and shook her head,

“What, ew no there’s nothing going on between us, Celeste laughed then sighed, just do me a favor and don’t tell anyone about it, especially Erica.”

Julien smiled and nodded,

“Right because there’s nothing going on between you two.”

Celeste glared at Julien until he backed away from her.

After taking a nice hot shower Celeste sat down at her desk and finished up the proposal she had to write in order to start her group on campus. The cost of having an actual newspaper or journal wasn’t in their budget so she decided to do what Daisy suggested and start a blog connected to the college. Even though Celeste was the one writing up the proposal she wanted everyone’s opinion on it.

She opened her messenger and text the group chat,

Celeste: Hey guys, I’m done putting together the proposal so maybe we can meet tomorrow in the library around 11 to go over it before I submit it :)

Mina: Sure thing girl!

Erica: Yeah sure, I might be a little late though because I’m meeting up with Ian<3

Daisy: Well the rest of us who aren’t hooking up, will be there on time

Daisy: j/k j/k love you Erica :)

Nehemie: I’ll be there, also I’ve got some ideas for names and what the layout can look like.

Celeste: Awesome! See you guys tomorrow :)

 

http://weheartit.com/glendower/collections/107725460-ch-john-egbert-aesthetic

 


	14. Unheard Voices

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste wants to talk about the blog but Erica wants to talk about spring break. Celeste has a therapy session that reveals some of her past. (There is mention of an assault but not in any details)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“So what do you think?” Celeste just finished reading the proposal to Mina, Daisy and Nehemie because Erica still wasn’t there.

“It sounds awesome, way better than anything I would have written.” Mina said as she checked her phone for the tenth time.

“Oh, Nehemie pulled out her mini laptop, I was thinking something like this for the layout.” She turned her laptop towards everyone and scrolled down.

“Oh yeah I like it and on the sides we can have out pictures and our names cause we are the boss bitches that came up with this idea.” Daisy flipped her hair over her shoulder.

Celeste rolled her eyes and laughed,

“Okay so I’m going to make my post for tonight and then I was thinking Nehemie could write about…”

“Hey guys, Erica burst through the door and sat down next to Celeste, what did I miss?” she beamed.

Before Celeste could say anything Nehemie jumped in,

“Well apparently you forgot to tell us that Ian is secretly a vampire because he’s been sucking on that neck!”

Erica zipped her jacket all the way up and blushed,

“Sorry, he gets a little carried away on the neck, Erica looked over at Mina, I’m sure Malcolm is the same way, right?”

Mina nodded while looking down at her phone then glanced up,

“What did you say, she shook her head, sorry I’m not all here today guys.”

“Is everything okay, Celeste asked, do you want talk about it?”

Mina shook her head,

“No it’s nothing, I’m fine, Nehemie looked over at her, really I’m good. Let’s get back to what we were talking about.”

“Well we were deciding whose going to write about and when we’re going to post. I was thinking we could start posting three times a week and add more posts if we want…

“Oh, Erica exclaimed, guys we should decide where going to go for spring break?”

Celeste sighed and looked up at the ceiling,

“Erica we’re talking about the blog right now, spring break isn’t until next week.”

“Which is why we need to figure out where we’re going, the blog is going to be great but this is our first college spring break.”

Celeste crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair,

“Fine.”

“How about we go the beach?” Mina suggested

“Everyone is going to go there.” Celeste said

“What about the mountains?” Nehemie said.

“Too woodsy and buggy, they looked at Daisy, I hate bugs okay?”

“We could just stay here?” Celeste suggested which was met with sea of unhappy faces glaring at her.

“No way, we have to go somewhere.” Erica said

“Fine, we’ll vote on it, everyone write down where they want to go, the beach, the mountains or stay here.”

“Okay three for the beach, one for the mountains and one for stay here, everyone looked at Celeste, I guess the beach it is.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~At therapy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So how have you been since our last meeting?”

“I’ve been good, I started a blog with my friends about the unheard voices on campus.”

“Really, Celeste nodded, that’s great. What made you want to do that?”

“Well I tried to submit my article but it got rejected and at first I was pissed off because they told me my article wouldn’t resonate with their readers which is total bullshit, they just didn’t like what I wrote about. But then my friend Daisy suggested I start my own paper and so I did. Well not a paper but it’s a blog and it’s on the schools homepage now which is cool.”

“Wow, that’s a great example of turning something negative into a positive. It seems like your friends are having a really positive impact in your life. Is there anything that’s impacting you negatively?”

Celeste picked at her nails and shrugged her shoulders,

“Not really.”

“What about that guy from your class, the one who was making your feel uncomfortable?”

“He doesn’t really make me uncomfortable he’s just always there every time I turn around. The other day I missed the bus and he gave a ride home which was a little awkward because he’s messing around with my friend Erica.”

“Do you think Erica would be upset if she found out he gave you a ride home?”

“I don’t know I just don’t want her to think there’s something going on between me and him because there isn’t, I have no attraction to him.”

“Does this guy, you said his name was Ian right, Celeste nodded, do you think maybe Ian has real feelings for you ?”

Celeste leaned forward and grabbed the squishy elephant off the table in front of her. She squished it in her hands,

“He’s just like every other guy. He only wants to get into my pants and I will never let someone, especially him, get that close to me.”

“Because he reminds you of your friend from when you were younger, Celeste set down the elephant and nodded, you haven’t talked much about what happened, which is fine but I can see after all this time it still has a hold over you. Maybe talking about it, would help?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders and leaned back,

“What is there to say, I trusted the wrong person and they took advantage of that. I told the wrong person and they didn’t believe me.”

“Do you still think the assault was your fault?”

“I was stupid, I invited him into my room. I hung around him even after all the shit he did and said.”

“He was your friend and he betrayed that trust, she leaned forward and put her hand on top of Celeste’s, that is not your fault.”

Celeste looked and at the clock and stood up,

“Time is up, I’m going to the beach for spring break with my friends so I won’t be able to make an appointment next week.”

“That’s fine, we can set up something when you get back. Have a good time Celeste, you deserve it.”

 

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/1f/49/81/1f49814c284460b382e686f84443baa8.jpg  
  



	15. Hitting On You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone unexpected reads Celeste's blog post and Erica worries about her bikini bod for the wrong reason.

Celeste had several people and professors come up to her the next day to praise her for her article. A few of the people even asked if they could submit something for the blog.

“Yeah sure, she wrote down her email address on a piece of paper and handed it to the shy girl in her art class Zara, here just send me an email with what you want to write about or if you already have something I can take a look at it and post it sometime next week.”

“Cool, the girl looked to the ground, thanks Celeste.”

“You’re welcome Zara, see you in class.”

Celeste smiled to herself and walked towards the stairs. As she pushed on the door she heard a thud and a groan. Ian stood there rubbing his head,

“Oh shit, I’m sorry I didn’t see you.”

He nodded and laughed,

“It’s okay, although you could be lying. Maybe you did mean to hit me and we should exchange information.”

Celeste rolled her eyes,

“Well you’re still hitting on me, she leaned in, so I guess we’ll call it even.”

His lips curled into a smile as he caught Celeste staring at his lips. She quickly looked away and walked past him.

“I read your article, Celeste turned to face him, walking to the bus station everyday as a woman makes me feel like I’m in a circus, on display for male onlookers to see, yell at and enjoy for their entertainment. That’s a lot to deal with, I’m sorry.”

Before Celeste could answer him she heard a voice behind her,

“Hey Ian, Erica stopped when she realized it was Celeste he was talking to, oh hey Celeste. I didn’t see you there.”

“Oh hey we were just talking about our assignment for class.”

“Sounds like fun, oh Ian are you still going to the beach for spring break?” Erica scooted closer to him.

He nodded and stepped away from Erica,

“Uh yeah that’s the plan.”

“Great because that’s where were going too, maybe we can meet up there.”

Ian looked over at Celeste,

“Or maybe you can stay with me; my parents have a beach house.”

“We already got a hotel room, Celeste jumped in, besides the beach is big, we might not even see each other down there.”

Erica bumped her shoulder into Celeste’s,

“What she meant was maybe we can come party at your beach house.”

“That’s not what I meant at all, Celeste rolled her eyes, I have to get to class. I’ll see you later Erica.”

“I gotta go too, see you later Erica.”

“Oh okay, see ya.”

Celeste practically ran up the stairs to get away from Ian. He caught up to her and held the door open for her,

“After you.”

Celeste glanced up at him as she walked past and mumbled thank you under her breath. The fact that Ian read her article surprised Celeste but him quoting it word for word meant he read it multiple times. He took the time and read it. He showed an interest in something that she did which made her think back to her therapy appointment. What if Ian really liked her, no she stopped herself from thinking it. He was just trying to get on Celeste’s good side and she was sure that he was using Erica to do it. She had to stay away from him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Later that day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“Hey can I photograph you guys for my art project?” Celeste asked her friends.

“Uh hell yeah, Daisy shouted and jumped up from the table, where do you want me?” she sat down on the table and dramatically looked over her shoulder.

Nehemie laughed and looked up at Daisy,

“You almost sat on my salad.”

“Sorry I just can’t help it, Daisy threw her head back, I was born to model.”

“Okay great but I need more than one person and your face isn’t really going to be shown in the shot.”

“What are you taking a picture of then?” Mina asked.

“I’m doing faceless shots to show that you don’t need someone’s face to show emotion.”

“That actually sounds really cool, I’ll help you.” Nehemie offered.

Mina and Daisy also agreed to help Celeste with her project. Erica ran into the cafeteria wearing workout clothes and drinking some green juice.

“Hey Erica, wanna sit down?” Daisy asked motioning to the chair next to her.

Erica shook her head and ran jogged in place,

“No thanks, I just came in to use the bathroom. I want to get a quick work out in before my class starts.”

“I didn’t know you worked out?”

Erica shook her head,

“I didn’t, she took a sip of her drink, but then I remembered I’m going to be in a bathing suit in a few days.”

“So what, you’re perfect the way you are Erica.”

“Yeah, Celeste nodded, Erica you don’t have change anything.”

“That’s easy for you to say Celeste, you’re beautiful. You might not show it off but you’ve got a super model body.”

Celeste looked away from her friends and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. She didn’t like that her body was a topic of discussion. Celeste had always been thin from years of dancing but after she stopped, she lost most of her muscle. To gain it back, and distract herself from things, she worked out obsessively. It wasn’t healthy but it gave her some control in her life. She stopped, but still retained her thin physique by eating right and doing yoga.

“Our point is that you don’t need to change yourself for someone else.” Mina jumped in and took the attention off of Celeste.

“I’m not I just want to look good for me, no one else. I promise.”

photo credit: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/86/fd/fe/86fdfe3151260e3869b37d2d428b891f.jpg


	16. Don't Call Me Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste makes dinner for the gang the night before their beach trip. A talk about "first times" makes Celeste feel uncomfortable. (This post mentions sexual assault but not in any details)

Celeste: Hey guys, just wondering what time everyone is getting here so I can plan dinner.

Daisy: Oooo what’s on the menu?”

Celeste: Chicken fajitas and Mexican rice.

Mina: Sounds amazing! I’m just waiting for my dad to get home and I’ll be right over. Neh and Erica will you guys be ready in an hour?

Nehemie: Yeah, I’ll be ready.

Erica: Me too but I think I’m going to eat before I come over. I don’t want to eat a big meal the day before we go to the beach.

Daisy: More for me. I’m ready whenever you are Mina.

Mina: Okay I’ll come by get you, then Neh and Erica last so she has time to eat.

Celeste: Sounds good, see you guys soon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later on~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Julien, can you get the door for me, Celeste yelled as she carried the food over to the table. Julien came out of his room wearing a top hat and little black leather shorts, nothing else, I’m not even going to ask.” She grabbed the pot of rice and shook her head.

“Hey wow, Mina looked over at Celeste; I didn’t realize it’s that type of dinner.”

Daisy laughed and gave Julien a slap on his ass as he danced in the kitchen. Nehemie helped Celeste finish setting the table as Julien and Daisy had a twerking competition. Erica and Mina were the judges.

“Okay, guys time to eat, Celeste grabbed Julien’s arm before he could walk over to the table, you know my rule, you don’t get fed unless you put a shirt on over your head.”

“Fine, he touched the brim of his hat, but I’m keeping the top hat on.” He kissed her cheek and sauntered away.

There was a moment when everyone was eating and laughing where Celeste looked around the table at her friends and thought about her friends from when she was younger. Even though she only knew them for a few months, they felt more like a family. Her eyes settled on Erica and the empty plate in front of her.

“Are you sure you don’t want some, it’s mostly veggies and it’s brown rice so it’s healthier.” Celeste leaned toward her left and whispered to Erica.

Erica pursed her lips and smiled,

“Okay just a little bit.”

Once everyone was done eating they moved into the living room. Julien put on some music and continued the dancing competition. Celeste jumped up and down thrashing her head about. Erica grabbed her phone and told everyone to smile for the video. Daisy took Erica’s phone and showed everyone dancing,

“A party before the beach trip tomorrow, woo hoo!” she shouted and danced with Celeste.

Erica posted the video to her Instagram story and tagged everyone in it. Mina stopped dancing with Celeste and sat down. Slowly everyone stopped dancing and sat down with Mina.

“What’s wrong Mina?” Erica asked putting her arm around her.

Mina sniffled and wiped tears out of her eyes,

“Guys I think it’s over between me and Malcolm. All we’ve been doing is fighting and he asked me what the hell I’m doing at a party and if there are guys there.”

Nehemie sighed and scooted closer to Mina. Daisy reached over and put her hand on top of hers. Celeste handed Mina a tissue.

“Mina, I know you love that boy but his jealousy is getting crazy and he’s the one who’s never around anymore. You deserve better, I’m sorry but I had to say it.”

Daisy nodded,

“She’s right, he’s the one acting shady. He always has an excuse why he can’t come see you but you’ve offered to go see him and he still has an excuse.”

Mina sighed,

“I know, I just wish I knew what was going on in his head. I wish I knew what he wanted.”

“You and me both, Erica spoke up, I know it’s nowhere near the same thing but Ian is so confusing sometimes. He’s so sweet to me and then he acts like I don’t exist.”

Celeste glanced over at Mina then looked away. Julien sat on the arm of the couch and put his hand on Erica’s,

“Oh sweetie, some guys are just dicks.”

Celeste nodded,

“He’s right, everyone looked at her, they just act like good guys in order to get close to you and then they, Celeste stopped and looked up at her friends, they just suck.” She laughed and looked away.

“Celeste you’ve never talked about dating, who have you dated?” Erica asked.

With everyone’s eyes on her Celeste felt a blush creep up her neck and burn her cheeks. She picked at her nails and avoided their gaze,

“I uh haven’t dated anyone, she looked up and chewed on the inside of her cheek, I just know guys like Ian, I mean I knew guys like him so I know how much they suck.”

The room fell silent until Daisy asked,

“So if you’ve never dated anyone then, you’re still a virgin.” Daisy leaned in and whispered the end of the sentence.

Celeste laughed to break the tension and everyone else followed,

“It’s really not a big deal guys and it’s not something I’m really ashamed of I just don’t talk about it.”

“But I don’t get it, everyone looked at Erica, you’re so pretty Celeste and I know guys look at you.”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“Yeah but it’s my choice and I choose not to.”

“I wish I would have waited, Nehemie sighed, my first time was nothing special.”

Erica’s mouth dropped open,

“Nehemie, you’ve had sex?! Isn’t that like illegal for you?” Erica whispered.

Nehemie rolled her eyes,

“Here in America it’s not and even though I am Muslim and I wear my hijab, there are things about my religion that I don’t agree with. Did you know in the Quran it talks about men enslaving women and using them as sex slaves? It’s not as common but it still happens because some people believe it’s okay. At the time I believed it was okay to have sex and it was my choice. I don’t regret my decision to do it but I wish I picked a better person to do it with.”

“I don’t even remember my first time. My “orgasm” felt more like a sneeze and his little brother was asleep in the room, it was bad.” Daisy laughed.

“Mine was worst, Mina tucked her legs underneath her, it was outside and we laid near a poison ivy patch. Explaining to my dad why I had to go to the doctor was not fun.”

“My first time was magical, Julien took off his hat and put it on Erica, it went to a Pride event with my then girlfriend and we both ended up hooking up with someone there. It was great because we both got to be ourselves finally and we’re still friends to this day.”

Celeste just sat there and listened. She had a story to tell but it wasn’t funny or light hearted. It wasn’t the right time. Celeste felt her phone vibrate in her pocket so she leaned back to retrieve it. It was a message from Ian with a screenshot of Erica’s snapchat.

IanJReyes0716: You’re having a party and you didn’t invite me :(

OhhhStar17: Sorry, no dicks allowed :)

IanJReyes0716: Oh so it’s that kind of party *winky face*

OhhhStar17: I know you can’t see it but I’m flipping you off right now.

IanJReyes0716: I could see it if you invite me over.

OhhhStar17: Not a chance, good night Ivan

IanJReyes0716: Good night, star

Celeste felt her heart pound in her chest. Her mouth went completely dry and her hands started to shake. Mina reached over and touched her arm,

“Are you okay?”

Celeste nodded and stood up,

“Yeah I just need something to drink.”

Celeste leaned up against the counter and text Ian back,

OhhhStar17: Don’t ever call me that again.

As soon as she hit send she shut off her phone and placed it next to her. Out of all the things he could have called her it had to be that, she thought to herself. It made her chest feel heavy, like someone was on top of her. Celeste closed her eyes and placed her hands on the counter. She traced the squares with her finger tips. The scent of fajitas still wafted through the air, she breathed it in despite feeling tight in her chest. She listened to her friends in the next room, Daisy’s boisterous laugh and Julien’s electro pop music filled her ears.

“Celeste, she opened her eyes and saw Julien, are you good?”

Celeste nodded and grabbed a glass to fill up with water,

“Yeah I just needed a minute I was feeling anxious.”

“Is it the music, cause I can turn it off if you need me too?”

Celeste shook her head and looked to make sure her friends were still in the living room,

“No it’s not the music. It’s just all the talk about first times and what not.”

Julien looked over his shoulder and leaned in,

“They don’t know about the, Celeste shook her head, got it. Say no more, we will stop talking about it and watch some crappy T.V, okay?” Julien put his arm around Celeste and kissed the top of her head.

“Okay, thanks JuJu.”

 

 

Photo credit: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/8f/d5/23/8fd523820213891a9342324c01aed72d.jpg

 


	17. Girl Power

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls wake up late and Celeste makes a promise to Erica.

The girls decided they were going to wake up around 8 and leave around 9 but that didn’t happen. Celeste forgot that she turned off her phone so the alarm she set for them didn’t go off. She woke up around 10 and spent half an hour trying to get everyone out the door. Once Mina’s car was packed it was almost 11.

Celeste got a message from Ian with the picture that Erica posted on her Instagram of the car packed saying,

IanJReyes0716: Looks like we’ll be seeing each other soon :)

She rolled her eyes and put her phone away.

“Oh look, Ian commented on my picture and said,”Let me know when you get here, we can party together smiley face, isn’t he great?”

“Yeah he’s great but listen Erica he’s…”

“And oh my god did you see the pictures he posted of himself playing basketball, she passed her phone around the car, he’s so freaking hot!”

When it got to Celeste she just passed the phone back to Erica,

“Okay, okay, enough talk about Ian, let’s start this road trip off right!” Daisy leaned in between the seats and turned the music up.

Everyone sang and danced along with the song “Hey Ya” By OutKast. The playlist Celeste put together was an assortment of 90’s songs and hits from the early 2000’s. She leaned forward and laid her phone in the center console. After a few songs Erica picked up Celeste’s phone from the passenger seat,

“This is a great playlist Celeste, what else is on it?!”

Just then Celeste remembered the notification on her front screen from Ian that she didn’t open. Erica looked over her shoulder at Celeste and put her phone down. Celeste let out a sigh and leaned back in her seat.

A half an hour into the drive, Mina stopped at a gas station because Daisy had to go to the bathroom. Nehemie and Mina went in for snacks, leaving Celeste and Erica by themselves.

“Erica, I’m…”

“Celeste, Erica looked over her shoulder, it’s fine. I may be blonde but I’m not dumb. I know Ian likes you.”

Celeste shook her head,

“He doesn’t like me and it doesn’t matter because I don’t like him. Trust me, nothing will ever happen between me and Ian, I promise.”

Erica smiled and reached for Celeste’s hand,

“I know and it’s really dumb to be jealous of every girl he flirts with because that’s pretty much every girl he sees. I know I’m not special to him but when it’s just me and him, I feel special. I guess I’m just hoping he’ll eventually see me as more than just a fuck buddy.”

Before Celeste could answer, Mina, Nehemie and Daisy got back in the car.

“That is much better, oh Celeste I got you some pink lemonade, because yellow lemonade reminds you of pee, she handed the bottle to Celeste then leaned forward, and I got you a pressed juice Erica cause you’re being all healthy and what not.”

Daisy passed around a family sized bag of Doritos and when it got to Erica took a handful and stuffed them in her mouth,

“Who cares about having a bikini body, I just want to have fun with my girls.”

Celeste looked up at Erica in the mirror and smiled,

“I’ve got the perfect song for that.” Celeste searched her playlist for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun”

 

photo credit: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/1c/bf/7a/1cbf7aceb50959a95d3413c6e6824f08.jpg


	18. Heart Of Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girls get to their hotel room and head out on the boardwalk for something to eat. Erica decides to get some advice that will cost her.

For the rest of the trip Daisy slept, Nehemie and Celeste took turns trying to throw M&M’s in Daisy’s open mouth and Erica helped Mina navigate. It took three and half hours instead of two and half because of leaving late and Mina accidentally missing the exit, twice.

To save on money and because the girls didn’t mind sleeping with each other or on the floor if they had to, Celeste got a room with two single beds for 145 dollars a night. It was pretty good compared to some of the other hotels along the beach that charged twice that. It didn’t have a pool but the beach was less than a block away so that didn’t matter to anyone.

Once everyone was settled in and found a corner to throw their stuff, Mina suggested they go find something to eat and walk around the boardwalk. Everyone else changed their clothes but Nehemie and Celeste. Celeste kept her jeans and plain blue short sleeved top on and Nehemie kept her long black and white maxi dress and light grey cardigan on. Erica changed into a sun dress with roses on it, Mina put on pair of shorts to go with her vintage looking motorcycle crop top and Daisy changed into a grey tank top with her lace bra peeking through and camo shorts.

Celeste grabbed her small black cross body bag and checked to make sure her wallet and room key were in it,

“Alright, everyone got everything?” Nehemie asked.

“Yes mom!” Mina yelled and put her arm around her.

After they got pizza on the boardwalk, Erica suggested they go see a psychic. Nehemie shook her head and kept walking,

“No thanks, I see a funnel cake stand calling my name. I’ll be waiting down there for you when you’re done wasting 20 dollars.”

Celeste didn’t have any interest to see a psychic but she was curious about what the psychic would tell Erica. The psychic was a woman in her early to late fifties wearing a long purple robe with gold trim and transparent glasses on the bridge of her nose. The sides of her grey hair were clipped back with golden dragonfly hair clips.

“Hello my name is Sierra the sorceress, Celeste and Mina exchanged a glance, which one of you will be getting the reading?”

Erica raised her hand and stepped forward,

“I will, um do you do readings for specific things like careers or relationships?”

“Yes I do, I can give you a palm reading and three card tarot spread for 25 dollars or one of them for 15 dollars.”

Daisy walked up to the psychic and pulled out a five dollar bill,

“Can you tell me if the thing in my yard is actually a dinosaur fossil?”

Mina pulled her back and shook her head,

“Girl I will tell you for free that it’s not a dinosaur fossil.”

Erica wanted the girls to come with her for her reading but the psychic said that they had to stand at least a foot away from Erica so that their energies didn’t mix with hers. Sierra lit a pink candle and placed it on the table in front of Erica. She sat down across from her and took Erica’s hand,

“Right away my dear I can see that you are a very caring person. You have a big heart. You’re love line is strong but I do see several breaks in it. You’re worried that your lover does not see you the same but he will. Don’t worry about that. You just need to be patient and it will pay off.”

“It will, Erica beamed, he’ll feel the same way about me?”

The woman nodded,

“Of course, how can he not. You are very beautiful.”

Celeste distracted herself by pulling out her phone. A notification popped up from Ian,

IanJReyes0716: Having a party at my place, here’s the address.

Celeste put her phone back in her pocket and looked over at Mina,

“I think I’m going to go get a funnel cake and wait with Nehemie.”

Before Celeste could leave Sierra called out,

“Wait, Celeste turned to face her, there’s something I must tell you. Come here.”

“That’s okay, I’m not getting the reading.”

“No, no this isn’t about her reading this is about you.”

Celeste sighed and walked over to the table. The woman took Celeste’s hand and closed her eyes,

“You have experienced some traumas and it has hardened your heart, Celeste’s eyes widened, you need to find a way to let go or you will push away the right person for you.”

“Thanks for the advice, but I’m not paying, Celeste pulled her hand away, I’ll be waiting outside.”

Celeste tried not to let what the psychic said bother her but it did and everyone could tell. Daisy put her arm around Celeste,

“Don’t worry about what that chick said Celeste, you have a big, fluffy cotton candy heart. There’s no hardness anywhere in you.”

“Thanks Daisy, Celeste laughed, and now I’m hungry for cotton candy.”

“Oh look Ian just messaged me and said he’s having a party at his place. We should go!” Erica beamed.

“I don’t know, I’m kind of tired.” Celeste said.

“You can head back to hotel Celeste. I just, I know it’s dumb but what if that psychic is right. The more I’m around Ian maybe he’ll start to like me, you know?”

“I’m down for a party.” Daisy said.

Celeste looked around at her friends and thought to herself she could go to the party and completely ignore Ian if she had to. She didn’t want to be the boring friend and head back to the motel before it was even ten o’clock.

“Okay fine, Erica jumped, but you know the rule.”

“When one of us is ready to leave, we all leave together.” Mina, Daisy, Erica and Nehemie said overlapping each other. 

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/3a/a0/aa/3aa0aa0329befb6eabc5bd5b553d347b.jpg  
LittleFoot693: Having some fun at the boardwalk with my girls<3  
SweetDaisee99: I shouldn't have had that third piece of pizza  
NehNeh392: Or that half a bag of Doritos in the car, don't worry I'll put a bucket next to our bed


	19. You Matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even though Celeste wants nothing to do with Ian she finds herself being drawn to him. Mina makes a new friend and Erica can't hide how upset she is from Celeste. (This is my version of the cliche scene, it just made more sense to have it happen at a party than at the college because there's more people around)

Celeste managed to avoid Ian for the first 20 minutes by sticking with Mina and the others. While she danced in a circle with her friends, Celeste caught a glimpse of Ian over Daisy’s shoulder. He looked like the quintessential surfer guy still wearing his swim trunks, except his hair was dark and not blonde. Celeste turned around to face Nehemie and danced with her. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ian again. He didn’t get too close, but close enough that Celeste could feel him staring at her. She closed her eyes and threw her head back, pumping her fist into the air and singing along to the song. Celeste saw Erica glance over to where Ian was and moved in front of her to block her view of him. She wanted Erica to forget about him and forget about what the psychic told her. After a few songs she didn’t see or feel Ian staring at her anymore but she needed something to drink,

“I’m going to go get something to drink.” She yelled in Erica’s ear who gave her two thumbs up and kept dancing with Daisy.

Celeste lifted her hair up and fanned her neck with her hand. There were three coolers on the counter, one filled with just ice, one filled with beer and the other one had water and soda. Celeste grabbed a red solo cup, popped open a coke and poured it into the cup.

“I’m glad you showed up, Ian leaned up against the counter next to Celeste, you look good.”

“Thanks, she looked up at him, but I’m only here because Erica wanted to come, not because you invited me.” Celeste grabbed her soda and walked past him.

“So I guess you’re back to ignoring me now.” He followed her.

“I’m not ignoring you, I just have nothing to say to you.” Celeste sipped from her cup and kept walking.

He stepped in front of her and put his hands up,

“What did I do to make you hate me Celeste, can you just tell me that, please?”

Celeste swallowed the retort on the tip of her tongue when she saw how hurt Ian looked. He could barely look at her. The confident Ian Reyes who never looked bothered by anything was replaced with a guy who nervously shifted his weight back and forth. He looked genuinely upset and it filled her with this desire to comfort him. Celeste shook her head and set her drink down on the table, 

“I have to go find Mina.” Celeste backed away from him and refused to look over her shoulder even though she could feel his eyes on her.

Celeste walked up to Mina who was talking to some guy and yelled in her ear,

“Where’s Erica?”

Mina shrugged her shoulders and looked around,

“I don’t know maybe she went to the bathroom, oh Celeste, this is Stephen.”

Stephen seemed more interested in Mina than getting to know Celeste but he did smile politely at her. Celeste smiled back then pointed behind her,

“I’m going to go outside for some air.”

Celeste gently pushed her way past people, mumbling sorry and keeping her head down in case one of them was Ian. The outdoor patio was just as crowded, so she walked down the stairs and onto the beach. The smell of the ocean wafted through her hair as the wind picked up. She let in a deep breath and sat down as she exhaled

The last thing Ian said to her replayed over and over in her head,

“What did I do Celeste to make you hate me, can you just tell me that?”

Celeste didn’t have an answer for him because she really didn’t hate Ian. He didn’t just remind her of the bad parts about the guy friends she used to hang out with, Ian reminded her of the good parts too. There was no doubt in her mind that Ian was clever and Celeste imagined she could have actual intellectual conversations with him, if he wasn’t currently pursuing Erica and any girl who smiled at him. Celeste dug her hands into the sand, grabbed a handful and slowly let it fall from her hands. She sat there for a while listening to the sound of the ocean and trying to get Ian's sad eyes out of her mind.

“Celeste, she whipped her head around and saw Erica, are you okay?” Erica pulled down her dress before she sat down next to Celeste.

“Yeah I’m fine I just needed some air, Celeste leaned in and saw that Erica's eyes were red, were you crying?”

Erica laughed and wiped her eyes,

“It’s nothing, I’m fine.”

“Erica, what happened?”

She shrugged her shoulders and looked over at Celeste,

“Nothing I didn’t expect. I went to find Ian and I saw hooking up with some girl and well I guess I should get my money back from that psychic.”

Celeste pushed herself up and wiped the sand off her pants,

“No, this is not okay Erica. He can’t treat you and other girls this way!” Celeste yelled over her shoulder as she walked up the stairs and pushed people out of her. Erica ran to keep up with Celeste and tried to pull her back,

“Celeste, just let it go okay it doesn’t matter.”

“Yes it does, she grabbed Erica’s face between her hands, you matter okay you’re feelings matter.”

Celeste spotted Ian over Erica’s shoulder and walked up to him. The girl Ian was dancing with looked over at Celeste and shook her head,

“I didn’t know he had a girlfriend, sorry.”

Celeste scrunched her nose up and shook her head,

“I’m not his girlfriend, she glared at Ian, just someone in awe, you have really outdone yourself this time Ivan.”

“Why do you call me Ivan you know my name is Ian and...”

She held her hand up to stop him from talking

“Yeah but it doesn’t fit you, I know I think I’ll call you a steaming pile of shit that matches you perfectly.” A chorus of ooh’s erupted around the room. Ian laughed and leaned in,

“Should I tell you what describes you perfectly?” Ian’s voice was mocking but Celeste could see a glimmer of that insecure guy from before in his eyes.

Celeste looked over her shoulder at Erica and the others, their facial expression were a mix between worried, giddy excitement and confusion. She could have left it there but she thought about Erica and all the other girls who dealt with guys like Ian on a daily basis. Celeste looked over at Ian, her lips curled into a devious grin,

“No, I’m tired of hearing you talk so just listen to what I have to say, he crossed his arms over his chest, whatever it is that turned you into this poor excuse for a human being, get over it, he clenched his jaw, I don’t care if your mommy loved designer clothes more than you or if your daddy never came to any of your football games, it’s no excuse to act like an entitled prick all the time because news flash the world doesn’t revolve around you, he nervously looked around the room, Just grow up okay, other people exist and they have feelings so stop messing with them to make up for the fact that you’re so insecure about your own.”

She didn’t wait for him to answer because there was nothing he could say. He was left speechless for the first time. She turned, put her arm around Erica and flipped Ian off over her shoulder. Mina, Daisy and Nehemie followed behind them as people moved out of their way and applauded Celeste. 

 

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/aa/c9/8b/aac98b98473aa58f43cac5db8079ab8d.jpg  
LittleFoot693: Such a mood.  
OhhhStar17: I will make you that cake when we get back :)  
SweetDaisee99: Yeah boys suck but you've got your girls here for you always <3


	20. Just An Ass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste's good mood doesn't last long. And as a bonus we get to see how Ian feels after Celeste leaves.

“Girl, that was the most boss ass bitch thing I’ve ever seen!” Daisy shouted and put her arm around Celeste. Celeste shook her head and laughed,

“It really wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“Are you kidding me, Nehemie walked backwards in front of Celeste, you completely destroyed him. I mean I thought he was going to cry.”

The good feeling Celeste felt was drained with every step she took. She looked over at Erica who stayed quiet,

“Really, Celeste looked over at Mina, did I go too far?”

“Well maybe a little. I mean don’t get me wrong Ian definitely needed a reality check but I wouldn’t have done it in front of everyone.”

“Well I still think it was pretty bad ass.”

Celeste didn’t feel like a bad ass, she just felt like an ass. Seeing Erica so upset just reminded her of how she felt. Even though it wasn’t anywhere near the same situation Celeste treated it as if it were. Just because Ian reminded her of him, the name she refused to say, didn’t mean Ian was him.

“He’ll get over it. He’s probably hooking up with some, Celeste stopped and looked over at Erica, sorry I didn’t mean it like that.”

Erica shook her head and sighed,

“No it’s okay, you’re probably right. That’s just the way he is and he’s not going to change. Thanks for trying though Celeste.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Ian's POV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ian watched Celeste walk out the door. The girl he was dancing with before Celeste ripped him a new one draped her arms around his neck,

“Why don’t we go up to your room so I can make you feel better.”

Ian looked down at the girl whose name he couldn’t remember and shook his head,

“I think I’ll pass.”

She shrugged her shoulders and walked away without giving him a second thought. Ian didn’t care that people were staring at him and whispering about what happened, he got enough of that in high school. What bothered him was that Celeste was right. Deep down he knew how shitty it was but no one ever told him any different because no one cared enough to call him out on his bullshit.

“Hey, are you okay, Stephen laughed, that was quite the show. What did you do to piss her off?”

“You know, just being myself. I’m going to go outside and get some air.” Ian patted Stephen’s shoulder and walked away.

He walked out onto the patio, down the stairs and onto the beach. The music slowly faded away as he walked closer to the water. Ian could have argued with Celeste and he was ready to until he heard her voice break at one point. He realized that she wasn’t just yelling at him. The anger she felt was something that had been building up for a while.

Ian pulled out his phone and sent a message to Celeste

IanJReyes0716: I get why you hate me now. I’m sorry.

He wasn’t expecting an answer but Celeste responded right away,

OhhhStar17: I’m not the one you have to apologize to

A few minutes later she messaged him again,

OhhhStar17: And I don’t hate you.

Ian went back into his house where most of the people left or were passed out on the floor, and headed upstairs. He plopped down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

“Ian, he sat up and looked over at Stephen in his doorway, can I talk to you for a second?”

Ian sat up and motioned to the chair,

“Step into my office best friend.”

Stephen rolled his eyes and sat down,

“You know that girl I was talking to earlier.”

“You mean Mina, Stephen nodded, yeah what about her?”

“What do you think of her?”

Ian sighed and laid back,

“I don’t know dude, I don’t really know much about her except that she’s friends with Celeste.”

“Yeah I know I mean I’ve seen her around campus before but tonight was the first time I’ve talked to her and she’s really cool and down to earth which is like the exact opposite of Mallory.”

“You think maybe that’s why you like her, because she’s the exact opposite of Mallory and any other girl you’ve been with. Even though you can have pretty much any girl you want, you just want her to want you and you can’t really explain why. She’s just different; Ian heard a muffled groan and sat up, Steph?”

Stephen was hunched over in the chair snoring away. Ian leaned over, turned out his light and stared up at his ceiling until he fell asleep.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/33/44/3a/33443a976376ecf823597bc4d7c20049.jpg

IanJReyes0716: “Life’s a beach, so ride the waves and enjoy the taste of salt.”


	21. Apologies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The girl squad spends some time at the beach. Ian listens to Celeste. Mina and Stephen spend more time together.
> 
> (Also does anyone know if you can insert photos into posts. I like adding photos because Skam characters have their own instas so I'm trying to replicate that. Thanks!!)

The next day everyone woke up around 8 which gave them half an hour to enjoy the continental breakfast. After they loaded up on eggs and various breakfast pastries, Daisy suggested they spend the day at the beach.

“I need some color, I’m starting to look like Erica and Celeste, Celeste narrowed her eyes, no offense you guys pull it off but I need to represent my Mexican heritage.”

“Okay so let’s go get our bathing suits on and head to the beach.”

Celeste regretted her bathing suit choice as soon as she sat down on the bed and got a giant wedgie. She bought her bathing suit online and in the picture it just looked like a normal one piece green bathing suit with white polka dots and a little bell cap sleeve but the bottom half showed off a little too much. Luckily she had a pair of high wasted shorts to throw on. Mina came out of the bathroom wearing a halter top bikini in a pinkish purple color with hipster bottoms of the same color.

“Wow Mina that color looks great on you.” Celeste said as she applied sun screen to her legs and arms.

“Thanks girl, I like yours too.”

Daisy, being a little bit more curvaceous, had a plain black bikini top that laced up the front and high wasted bottoms with a tropical flower pattern. She put on her mirrored sunglasses and asked Erica to help her put some sunscreen on her back. Erica finished adjusting the straps on the sides of her white bikini bottoms with pink and purple flowers and walked over to help Daisy.

Celeste tucked her white floppy hat into her beach bag, along with her towel and a book. Before she put her phone in there she checked her messages. There was a message from Julien

Julien: I just went into your room and smelled your pillow because I miss you!!

Celeste: That’s sweet and incredibly creepy JuJu. Miss you too!

“Who are you texting?” Erica asked as she sat down next to Celeste on the bed.

“Just Julien, he said he misses me.”

“Aww that’s so sweet. Honestly you two could be brother and sister. You guys do that sibling banter that my younger brother and I do.”

“I didn’t know you had a younger brother, Erica nodded, what’s his name?”

“Lucas, he’s 13 and he drives me nuts. What about you?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“I’m an only child as far as I know, Erica titled her head in confusion, my dad is kind of an asshole. For most of my life he wasn’t there and I haven’t spoken to him in about a year maybe two I don’t really remember.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to bring that up.”

Celeste shook her head and stood up,

“It’s fine, I just don’t really like to talk about him.”

“Say no more, Erica looked over at Nehemie who just came out of the bathroom, wow Nehemie that is so cute.”

Nehemie smiled and did a turn,

“Thanks it’s called a burkini, I’ve never worn one before but I thought why not.”

Nehemie wrapped a blue and green scarf around her head to match the colors of her green long sleeved bathing suit with black long bathing suit bottoms underneath.

 

The girls went down to Mina’s car to grab the beach chairs and other things they brought with. Daisy and Nehemie carried a beach chair under each arm along with their own beach bags. Mina carried the extra beach towels and Erica helped Celeste carry a cooler with drinks and snacks.

Once they got to the beach and set up their stuff Daisy shook her head,

“Guys why didn’t we just drive down to the beach and park on the street?” she said out of breath.

Celeste opened her mouth then looked around at a sea of confused faces,

“Yeah, that probably would have been easier.”

Mina laughed and sat down on her beach towel,

“Well we’re here now so let’s just enjoy the sun.”

“Oh shit, Daisy lowered her sunglasses onto the bridge of her nose and pointed down the beach, look who it is.”

Celeste turned around, about 20 feet away there was a volley ball game going on. Her eyes went right to Ian. She pursed her lips and enjoyed the view of him in a crouched position about to spike the ball. Celeste’s attention got pulled away by a kid running past to chase their beach ball.

“We can move if you want to, Celeste looked over at Erica, it’s not a problem.”

Erica shook her head and sat down on her towel,

“No, were fine here.” She put her headphones in and spread herself out.

“Okay, who’s going to come in the water with me?” Daisy threw her sun glasses down and adjusted her top. Celeste held up her book and sat down,

“Maybe in a bit, I’m going to sit here and read.” Her gaze went to Ian and the others playing volley ball.

Nehemie volunteered to go out into the water with Daisy while Mina, Erica and Celeste stayed behind. Normally a book would hold Celeste’s attention but she kept looking up from her book and watching Ian play volleyball. The ball went way over Ian’s head and landed not that far away from where Celeste was sitting. She quickly looked away and tried to use her book to block herself from his view.

“Celeste, Mina nudged her, can you grab me a water?”

Celeste sat up, leaned over and opened the cooler. A bunch of ice fell from the water bottle and landed on her lap. She let out a gasp, looked up and locked eyes with Ian. He flashed a quick smile but it wasn’t his normal cocky smile. Celeste tried to hand Mina the water but she busy watching one of the guys playing volley ball. Celeste cleared her throat and Mina’s gaze snapped to her,

“Thanks.” Her voice sounded higher.

“Do you know that guy?” Celeste asked.

Mina shrugged her shoulders,

“Not really, I’ve seen him around campus and we talked at the party, Celeste’s eyes widened, what?” Mina asked

“Nothing, I’m going to keep my mouth shut.”

“Good idea, Mina laughed and leaned closer to Celeste, don’t pretend you weren’t looking at you know who. I saw you girl.”

Celeste took off her hat and laid her book down,

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, she pushed herself up and looked down at Mina, I’m going to go for a swm.”

Celeste walked into the water up to where her shorts were. She was more concerned about how high up her bathing went than wearing wet shorts. Celeste floated on her back and gently moved her arms up and down. She loved hanging out with her friends but she also needed time to herself to recharge and clear her mind of what happened last night.

She sat up and looked towards the shore. Stephen, the guy from the party, was talking with Mina and sitting on Celeste’s towel. She swam towards Daisy and Nehemie who were jumping waves and splashing each other.

“Celeste why are still wearing your shorts?” Daisy laughed and swam around her like a shark.

“Because there’s only about an inch of fabric to cover my vagina and ass, Nehemie’s eyes got wide, yeah I should have bought it at the store instead of online.”

“Well it still looks super cute.”

The three of them returned to their beach towels to dry off. Erica stood up and looked down at her chest,

“Oh crap I forgot to put sunscreen on my chest.”

Daisy winced and nodded,

“Yeah you’re looking a little bit red.” Celeste used one of the towels that wasn’t full of sand and dried her hair. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw someone walking in her direction. Ian quickly looked Celeste up and down as he passed by. She acted like she needed something from Daisy in order to get closer to him.

“Hey Erica, can I talk to you for second?”

Erica glanced over at Celeste then crossed her arms over her chest,

“Yeah I guess.”

“I wanted to apologize for how I treated you. It was wrong. I acted like a total asshole and I didn’t think about your feelings. I hope you can forgive me because you’re a really cool chick and I think we could be friends someday, if you wanted.”

Celeste looked at Ian then over at Erica who was as red as her chest. She smiled and uncrossed her arms,

“Yeah, I mean that sounds, that sounds nice.”

Ian turned and smirked at Celeste as he walked away. She rolled her eyes and glared at him, he couldn’t make Celeste melt into a puddle at his feet the same way he did with Erica but Celeste knew he was going to try.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/29/38/67/29386719d514c82d7fa1354b497efa3a.jpg

NehNeh392: We found some treasure on the beach  
SweetDaisee99: My treasure belonged to an angry little crab  
OhhhStar17: Can you blame him though, you tried to steal his house...not cool man :P


	22. The Dirty Plate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For their last night together before going back home, the girls decide to go out to fancy dinner that ends in tears.

Check out was at noon the next day so the girls decided to get dressed up and go out for a nice dinner. Celeste wore a butter cup yellow jumpsuit with white flowers on it and ruffles on the sleeves. Even though it wasn’t as bright as Mina’s blue skirt with golden leaves on it, she still felt everyone’s eyes when she came into the room.

Daisy, in her very classy hi low hem black wrap dress, whistled and slapped her leg,

“Damn girl, you look like you’re about to strut down the runway in that outfit!”

Celeste shook her head and looked down,

“Are you sure it doesn’t look grandma-ish?”

Nehemie smoothed out her long lilac maxi skirt before sitting down on the bed,

“No, I think it makes you look sophisticated.”

“Yeah, Erica nodded, you look distinguished.”

Celeste rolled her eyes and looked in the mirror,

“Isn’t that just a nice way of saying I look old?”

Mina shook her head, put her hands on Celeste’s shoulder and hugged her,

“You look great, come ‘on let’s get a group picture before we leave because this skirt makes it look like I actually have an ass and I want photo evidence.” Mina laughed and propped her phone up against the bed using her suitcase and half a box of Cheezits.

After a mini photo shoot where Celeste took pictures from many different angles until she found the correct one that showed Mina’s asset in the best way possible, they left the motel and walked to the French restaurant that Daisy looked up on yelp.

Blanquette de veau

“It’s only got three bad reviews so as long as no one gets the, Daisy squinted at her phone, Blan…quet de vee-au.”

“I’m safe, I don’t order anything unless I can pronounce it, Mina fixed the strap on her heels and looked down at Celeste’s feet, see I should have been smart and worn sandals but y’all said it was fancy.”

Celeste looked down at her feet then up at Mina,

“Hey, my sandals are fancy; she lifted her foot up, look at that bling.”

They made it to the restaurant after stopping twice for Mina and once for Daisy because she saw a wall covered in graffiti that she thought would make a cool background for an Instagram picture.

Nehemie looked up at the sign outside the restaurant and arched her brow,

“This is the restaurant you picked.”

“Yeah, why?” 

“L'assiette sale, means the dirty plate in English.”

Daisy shrugged and opened the door,

“As long as the food is good I don’t care about the plates.”

L'assiette sale, The Dirty Plate, was decorated with chandeliers and display shelves built into the walls with bottles of wine uncorked lined up. Celeste gazed around the restaurant as they were seated at a table near a window. The waitress brought them menus and a wine list.

Daisy opened it and pulled out her phone. Celeste looked up from the menu and leaned over,

“Who are you texting?”

Daisy shook her head,

“No one, I’m using the translator app. I want to make sure I’m not going eat duck balls or something.”

“Well the ingredients are in English so you should be fine, the poulet à la chasseur sounds pretty good.” Celeste said

“Yeah I was thinking the Chicken Marengo, I like chicken and Marengo sounds like mango, Daisy placed her menu down and picked up the wine list, I think I’m just going to close my eyes and point to one.”

After they ordered their food they talked about the people who were vacationing in the room next to them.

“I swear they were going at for like 2 hours. I mean I don’t know how you slept through it Celeste.”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders and buttered a piece of bread,

“I live with Julien, weird sex noises are like white noise to me. Speaking of which, Celeste pulled out her phone and motioned to everyone, everyone say cheese!”

Everyone smiled for the picture, Celeste sent it to Julien with a message saying,

“Miss you tons!!”

There was a moment while they were eating where Celeste looked around the table at her friends and felt overwhelmed, but in a bad way. She was filled with a sense of belonging and genuine friendship that she hadn’t felt in a long time. Tears welled up in her eyes from just the thought of being surrounded by such caring people.

“Celeste, Erica touched her hand, are you okay?”

She nodded and wiped her eyes with her other hand.

“Yeah I’m fine it’s just, everyone towards her, I love you guys so much. I know I’m not a very touchy feely person and I don’t like talking about my feelings but, for a long time I thought that there was something wrong with me, Mina put her arm around Celeste’s shoulder, because everyone I cared about eventually left or decided I wasn’t worth the trouble. I spent so long thinking that and then I met you guys and, Celeste chewed on her bottom lip and felt her throat tighten, I just don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Awe Celeste, don’t cry. You’re going to make me cry.” Daisy dabbed her eyes with the cloth napkin, smearing her mascara onto it and her face.

“Me too, Celeste, she looked over at Nehemie, I don’t know who made you feel like that but they are the ones who are wrong, not you.”

“Yeah, I really hope you’re not friends with those people anymore because you deserve so much better.”

“Thanks you guys and I meant what I said, I really don’t know what I would do without you’s.”

“Okay, okay, enough crying let’s make a toast, everyone picked up their glasses of wine except for Erica who had water with lemon, here’s to Mina, Daisy motioned to her with her glass, who brought us all together, to Nehemie for providing us with guidance, to Erica for being the missing piece that we needed and to Celeste, Celeste looked over at Daisy, for being herself which is all any of us want, everyone started cheering but Daisy held up her hand, wait I’ve got one more thing to add and for giving a platform to the unheard voices on our campus which has had over 2,000 visitors in less than a week of being posted! Cheers!” Everyone cheered and clinked their glasses together.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/9b/59/bd/9b59bd1a76f4f8a7903b571238cbf443.jpg  
OhhhStar17: "Friendship isn't about who you've known the longest. It's about who walked into your life, said "I'm here for you" and proved it." @MinaBoBINA97 @SweetDaisee99 @LittleFoot693 @NehNeh392 thank you for everything<3


	23. Don't Forget Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste comes back to an empty apartment and a message on the answering machine for her. I just wanted to get a little into Celeste's family life and what things were like for her growing up but I don't want to dump everything out all at once. Hope this helps paint a better picture of Celeste's character. We'll get some more Ian and Celeste interactions coming up :)

Even though Celeste had only been gone three days, she wasn’t sure what the apartment would look like. She took a deep breath before opening the door and closed her eyes. When she opened them the apartment looked cleaner than it did when she left.

“Julien, Celeste called out and walked down the hall to his bedroom, you in there?” she knocked on the door and turned the knob when he didn’t answer. His bedroom always looked like well organized chaos, there were clothes on the ground but they were in piles and there were food container but they were stacked neatly on his desk.

She dropped her stuff by her door and walked into the kitchen to see if he left a note on the whiteboard. It read,

"Went out with Rinaldo for a bit. I made some gourmet mac n cheese and cleaned up a bit before I left. Btw there’s a message on the machine for you. Be back soon <3

Julien didn’t cook and he only cleaned like that when Celeste got a call from her mother or more specifically the nurse who wasn’t much older than Celeste who took care of her mother.

When Celeste was younger it was just her and her mother for the most part. Her father was in and out of the picture, pursuing relationships with other women instead of trying to have one with his own daughter. His pattern was, he would randomly show up and make promises, he would get into a relationship and then he would forget about her.

Celeste’s mother was the one constant thing she had in her life. She never left or decided that someone else was more important. She remembered every single birthday, provided her with wisdom and advice and never went a day without telling her how much she loved her.

Celeste hasn’t seen or spoken to her mother since she moved two hours away from home. Her mother starting showing signs for Alzheimer’s when she in her late thirties. At first it was just forgetting to do simple things like wake Celeste up for school or pick her up from dance classes. It didn’t happen often and her mother just chalked it up to stress. She worked as a receptionist for a law firm but they had her doing things way above her skill set.

It wasn’t until Celeste came home one day and found her mother taking a shower completely clothed. At first she thought it was a joke but then she saw her mother’s eyes. The absolutely terrified look on her face when her mother looked at Celeste and said,

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

At only 16 years old Celeste dropped out of high school to take care of her mother and finished getting her diploma from home. Her mother was diagnosed that same year with early onset Alzheimer's. The disease progressed quickly over the next few years. Her mother became withdrawn, never wanted to leave the house or come out of her room. Celeste barely left the house and when she did her mother became irate. She would call Celeste horrible names and say hateful things to her like, she wish she had an abortion because she never wanted a kid.

Celeste always remained calm, never cried or took her anger and frustration out on her mother. She knew it wasn’t her fault but eventually she knew she couldn’t stay, not because she didn’t care but because she cared too much and seeing her mother slowly slip away day after day was the most heartbreaking thing she had ever experienced.

The final straw happened after Celeste had one of the worst nights of her life, which had nothing to with her mother. Her mother hollered for her from the living room. Celeste sat down the brush she was using to clean the toilet and looked at herself in the mirror. She grabbed a tissue and removed any evidence of her sobbing for the past twenty minutes but in reality she hadn’t stopped crying since he left.

Her mother pointed to the remote on the table, which was within reaching distance,

“The damn T.V is too loud, it’s giving me a headache!”

Celeste smiled, walked over to the table and grabbed the remote,

“Here you go, why don’t you keep it right here in this little pocket, Celeste leaned down to hand her the remote, just in case you need…”

“Don’t touch me! Get away!!”

Her mother jumped up and started hitting and pushing Celeste away from her. Celeste wasn’t ready for the sudden outburst so when she stepped back she tripped over the leg of the chair and smacked the back of her head on the corner of the entertainment center. She laid there in a daze and listened to her mother laugh hysterically like she just witnessed the funniest thing she had ever seen. Celeste moved out a week later and her part time nurse became a full time one.

Celeste stared at the blinking red dot on the answering machine for a while before reaching over and pressing it,

"Hey Celeste, it’s Molly, you’re mother’s nurse. I know we haven’t spoken in a while and that you said you didn’t want weekly updates on your mother anymore but I thought maybe you would want to know that she has been asking about you, not by name but she asked me where the girl with the long dark hair is and I think she was talking about you. Maybe you can make arrangements to come see her sometime soon. Let me know, okay bye!"

Celeste hit the delete button, heated up the leftover mac n cheese and took it with her into her room where she stayed for the rest of the night.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/36/42/ce/3642ce9e7920b6939d0bebc66f6620bf.jpg  
OhhhStar17: I miss the girl with long dark hair too Mom.  
MinaBoBINA: Wow, Celeste your mom looks so much like you in the photo.  
NehNeh392: She's beautiful and so are you!  
IanJReyes0716: I agree with Nehemie.


	24. Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian is trying to prove himself to Celeste but Celeste's opinion of him isn't going to change, or is it? In therapy, Celeste thinks about the last time her and her dad talked.

Celeste yawned and brought her coffee cup up to her lips. She decided to come to the college early the next day, to sit in the cafeteria and work on the homework she had been neglecting but she just spent most of her time staring at her computer screen. There was thirty minutes before her class started and she only had half a page of her reading response written, it needed to be at least two. She rubbed her hands over her face and let out a sigh in frustration.

Okay, just get it to at least a page, she said to herself as she resumed typing. Someone walking into the cafeteria caught her eye. She immediately looked away once she realized it was Ian but it was too late because he saw her as soon as he walked in.

Celeste thought he was going to try and come sit with her but he didn’t. He sat down at the table right in front of her. She stopped typing and glanced up at him. Ian opened his laptop and winked at Celeste. She stuck her nose up in disgust and leaned in closer to her laptop.

A few seconds later, a message popped up in the corner of her computer screen. She sighed and looked over at Ian who had an amused look on his face. There was an option to click ignore but she clicked accept instead,

Ian Reyes: What are you working on? :)

Celeste Drummer: My reading response.

Ian Reyes: Wow, I’m surprised you don’t have that done already. I finished mine before I even left for the beach.

Celeste Drummer: Good for you. I forgot so can you leave and go somewhere else so I can concentrate.

Ian Reyes: Sorry, I didn’t realize my prescience was so distracting to you.

Celeste glanced over at him. He flashed a shit eating grin and raised his eyebrows, looking pleased with himself. She felt her mouth twitch but refused to smile. He leaned back and crossed his arms across his chest. The sleeves of his graphic tee tightened around his muscles. He smile grew wider when he caught her look. Celeste rolled her eyes, stood up with her stuff and moved to the other side of the table so that her back was facing Ian.

Celeste Drummer: There, problem solved.

She heard him laugh behind her and smiled to herself. Once he wasn’t in her eye line she managed to expand her reading response to a page and a half with ten minutes to check on the blog. The latest post was about Casey, a thirty something year old mother who was going to school part time, working and taking care of her 8 year old son. Her story immediately caught Celeste’s attention when she saw it in her inbox.

She stayed up all night editing it and then posted it right before she left the house. It already had 100 reads and 34 comments which was pretty good considering there weren’t many single mothers on campus. It was mostly young kids with rich parents or poor kids with scholarships.

While Celeste responded to comments and checked her emails, Ian got up and walked over to the vending machine. It was hard for her to stare directly at her computer screen with him standing in front vending machine mumbling to himself,

“Hmm what do I want, do I want something sweet, he glanced over his shoulder, or salty.”

Celeste closed her laptop and started to pack up her stuff. She watched Ian kneel down; her eyes went right to his backside and stayed there until he turned around to face her. He smiled, walked to her and laid a granola bar down on the table,

“The machine gave me two.”

Celeste slid the granola bar towards him and stood up,

“I’m not hungry.”

He sighed, took her hand and put the granola bar in it,

“Keep it for later, when you are hungry.” His mouth curved into a smile.

Her eyes dropped to his hand which was still holding hers. She pulled her hand away, took the granola bar and walked towards the door. He followed after her and walked next to her but on the opposite side of the hallway. Instead of going up the stairs Celeste ran up to the elevator as it closed. She made it in but Ian didn’t. A girl on the elevator leaned towards her,

“Are you trying to escape an ex-boyfriend?”

Celeste sighed and shook her head,

“No, he’s ,Celeste paused and laughed, just someone I can’t seem to escape.”

Celeste looked up as the doors opened and Ian stood there out of breath like he just ran a race. The girl exited the elevator and mouthed “good luck” to Celeste over her shoulder.

Celeste sighed and walked past Ian. He ran down the hall to beat her to the door and held it open for her. Celeste walked in, sat down at the end of the row and threw her book bag into the seat next to her when Ian tried to sit there. She glanced up at him and shrugged her shoulders,

“Sorry.” She smirked.

He pursed his lips and arched his brows,

“That’s fine, I’ll just sit here.” He took the next seat next the one her book bag sat in.

As more people came in and class started, Celeste forced herself to focus but she could feel Ian staring at her. She opened their chat on her computer and sent him a message,

Celeste Drummer: So I guess you’re back to your old ways.

Ian Reyes: What do you mean?

Celeste Drummer: Eye fucking me, giving me food and holding the door open for me.

Ian Reyes: Whoa Celeste let’s keep it PG alright.

Celeste Drummer: Look it was nice that you apologized to Erica but I still think you’re an asshole.

Ian Reyes: I know and I’m going to change that.

Celeste Drummer: It’s going to take a lot more than a granola bar to do that.

Ian Reyes: I know, but I’m working my way up to other things.

Celeste Drummer: Oh yeah, like what?

Ian Reyes: You’ll see :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later at therapy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste showed up early to her appointment so while she waited she scrolled through Instagram. Ian had commented on the picture she posted of her mom the other day and liked a few of her pictures. The only pictures she saw were the ones Erica showed her and her curiosity got the better of her. Most of his pictures were of him shirtless, playing basketball or at the gym but Celeste came across a picture of him smiling, it was a side profile shot of him looking down or with his eyes closed. It looked like someone took it as he was laughing, there crescent shaped dimple in his cheek that Celeste found adorable. The caption of the photo said,

“I remember you telling me a joke right before you took this picture. Miss you every day G.”

“Celeste, Teresa poked her head out, you can come in now.” She motioned her to come in.

“So how was your vacation?”

Celeste silenced her phone and sat down, “It was really good, for the most part. There was a little drama between Erica and that guy Ian from my class.”

Teresa picked up her clip board and place it on her lap, “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders and leaned back in her chair,

“It’s not really that big of deal anymore but Ian invited Erica, well first he invited me but I didn’t answer him so then he messaged Erica and of course she answered and we ended up going to his party. But before that Erica saw a psychic on the boardwalk who told her a bunch of crap to make her think Ian wanted her but she saw him making out with some girl and it was just a mess.”

“Yeah it sounds very messy, what did you think of the situation?”

“I thought it was shitty thing for Ian to do but not surprising because that’s just how he is. I also kind of told him off in front of everyone there and at first it felt great because guys like him shouldn’t do that. They shouldn’t pretend to be nice just to get close to someone and completely destroy them!” Celeste shouted.

Teresa calmly nodded and wrote something down on her clipboard. Celeste knew it was her job but she still hated it. She hated the idea that there was physical evidence of things she has said or not said during her appointments.

“How did Ian react to that?”

“He actually apologized to Erica the next day, Celeste shook her head, but he probably only did it suggested it. He said sorry to me first and I told him I wasn’t the one he needed to apologize too.”

“So you think he only did it because of what you said and not because he actually felt bad?”

“Yeah because today he was back to his same old self, staring at me, giving me food and holding the door open for me.”

“It sounds like he’s trying to redeem himself to you which means he really cares about your opinion of him. Is your opinion of him changing?”

“No, Celeste answered quickly, I mean he’ll get tired and move onto to some other girl. Something else happened when I got back; Celeste said to change the subject, my mom’s nurse called me.”

“Oh, Teresa sat up straighter, what did she have to say?”

“She told me that my mom was asking about me or someone with long dark hair. She wants me to go home and visit my mom.”

"Is that something you're thinking about doing?"

"I don't know, I haven't been back home in almost and year and a half and I feel bad but I just couldn't stay there after everything that happened." Celeste touched the back of her head. She could still feel the scar from where she hit her head. 

Celeste drove herself to the hospital that night but they wouldn't let her drive herself home, so she had to call her Dad. He yelled at her the whole time in the car,

"I told you before, it's not your job to take care of her and this proves it Celeste. You can't keep doing this to yourself. I know you love your mother but..."

"Du you love her, Celeste looked over at him with tears in her eyes, or was she just convenient at the time?"

Her dad reached over and put his hand against Celeste's cheek,

"I love you kiddo and that's all that matters."

That was the last thing Celeste said to her dad. It had been over a year since they last spoke.

"Well just know that it's up to you Celeste. You don't have to visit your mom but maybe you can call her. It might be nice for her to hear your voice, Teresa looked at the clock, okay, same time next week?"

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/79/cc/ef/79ccefa17b09e5a6179d19ae9cf724fe.jpg  
IanJReyes0716: “I remember you telling me a joke right before you took this picture. Miss you everyday G.”


	25. Just Wing It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian helps Celeste out and asks for something in return.

"Hey, how was therapy?"

Celeste hung up her wet jacket and kicked off her shoes. She tried to run her fingers through her hair but it was too tangled from the rain and wind.

"It was okay, she stood next to Julien at the counter, how was work?"

"It was work, Julien held up the tea pot, want some tea?"

"Sure, she reached for the tea pot but Julien pulled it back and held out his hand. Celeste smiled and handed her cup to him, hey so I wanted to apologize for the other night. When you came home I totally ignored you and I know you were just trying to help but I..."

"Celeste, Julien held up his hand, it's okay. I know you don't like talking about your mom but just know that if you ever want to, I'm here for you." He smiled and handed her the mug. The smell of mint tea wafted up to her as she smiled at him.

Celeste thanked him, went to her room and tried to study for her test. After looking at her book and notes for less than ten minutes Celeste decided to just wing it and hope that her brain retained more than she thought.

“Okay, Which of the following events would lead to catastrophism? A : Earthquake, B: Flood, C: Volcanic eruption or D: All of the above.” Celeste said out loud to herself.

She knew it was D but the timer at the top made her second guess herself. Celeste clicked D and moved onto the next question.

“The idea that evolution resulted from periods without any major changes and then short, sudden changes, is known as, Celeste clicked punctuated equilibrium, I guess I was paying attention.” Celeste said to herself.

Celeste answered the next few questions with no problem but one about cells had her stumped. The timer at the top of the page showed that she had 8 minutes left. A little notification popped up in the corner of her screen.

Ian Reyes: Hey, what are you up to?

Celeste ignored his message and searched through the notes she took on cells. Another message popped up.

Ian Reyes: Celeste!! Please answer me. I have question.

Ian Reyes: It’s about the homework.

Ian Reyes: I don’t remember what chapters were supposed to read.

Ian Reyes: Come ‘on Celeste, pretty please :)

Celeste clicked on the message and wrote back,

Celeste Drummer: We have to read chapters 6, 7 and 8. Now please leave me alone I’m trying to take a Bio test and it’s timed.

Ian Reyes: BIO 150?

Celeste Drummer: Yes now leave me alone. I’ve got like 4 minutes and 4 questions left and I’m trying to find the answer in the stupid book because my stupid notes aren’t helpful.

Ian Reyes: Maybe I can help, what’s the question?

Celeste Drummer: A concentration gradient is defined as blank. I know it’s about active transport but I can’t find the answer.

Ian Reyes: It’s the gradual difference in solute concentration between two areas.

Celeste Drummer: Are you sure?

Ian Reyes: Positive.

Celeste picked Ian’s answer which was correct answer.

Ian Reyes: Was it right?

Celeste Drummer: Yeah, you were right

She knew the answers to the next two questions but she didn’t even know what chapter to look in for the last question. After skimming her notes and book she reluctantly asked Ian for help again.

Celeste Drummer: How well do you know pre-zygotic and post zygotic barriers?

Ian Reyes: Uh one is a barrier against fertilization and the other reduces reproduction.

Celeste Drummer: Do you know which is which?

Ian Reyes: I do.

Celeste Drummer: Are you going to tell me or not, I’ve got a minute a half left and this is my last question.

Ian Reyes: I’ll tell you, if you go for a walk with me by the river tomorrow.

Celeste Drummer: Are you kidding me?

Ian Reyes: It’s up to you but I would hurry up

Celeste sighed and flipped off her computer even though Ian couldn’t see it. So far she had a perfect score and she really had no idea what the answer could be.  
The timer at the top of her test said 45 seconds.

Celeste Drummer: I can’t believe you’re blackmailing me into hanging out with you for a perfect score.

Ian Reyes: Desperate times Celeste. So do we have a deal?

Celeste Drummer…Fine I’ll go for a walk with you tomorrow

Ian Reyes: Yes okay, pre-zygotic barrier reduces reproduction and a post zygotic barrier prevents fertilization.

Celeste Drummer: Are you sure?

Ian Reyes: Yes and If I’m wrong you don’t have to go for a walk with me. I kinda feel like an ass using your lack of Biology knowledge against you.

Celeste Drummer: Oh gee how kind of you.

Celeste went with Ian’s answer and submitted the test with 4 seconds to spare. Her score was 9 out of 10. She got the last question wrong.

Ian Reyes: So was it right?

Ian Reyes: Hello?

Ian Reyes: Celeste the suspense is killing me.

She typed into the message; nope you were wrong then deleted it.

“I’m probably going to regret this.” She said to herself

Celeste Drummer: Yup you were right again.

Ian Reyes: Awesome! And you know I thought about it, I’m trying to prove to you that I’m not a asshole and I don’t think forcing you to hang out with me is going to do that so just forget about the deal. See you tomorrow.

Celeste Drummer: No a deal is a deal. I said I would go for a walk with you if the answer was right and it was and I keep my promises no matter how shallow they may be.

Ian Reyes: Okay…I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night Celeste :)

Celeste Drummer: Night

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/06/1e/ef/061eeff18ea3d9eb8ffad39774da90f1.jpg  
OhhhStar17: A picture of @LittleFoot693. It's part of my faceless portrait series. More too come :)  
LittleFoot693: Love love LOVE this! :)


	26. Not Giving Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste wants to make Mina laugh and Ian's playful nature softens Celeste but not completely.

The next day Celeste was at the library working on another post for the blog about proper etiquette on riding public transport. She wanted to make it entertaining so she wrote it from the point of view of a bus seat. As she sat there trying to decide whether or not to scrap the idea, she felt her phone buzz next to her. It was a message from Mina,

Mina Saray: Hey girl. Can we meet up? I'm sitting at the benches by the Student Center

Celeste Drummer: Sure. I'm at the library. I'll be there in five.

"Hey, what's up?" Celeste sat down on the bench next to Mina.

"It's nothing really but, Mina sighed and looked over at Celeste, Malcolm has been totally MIA since I got back. He's not answering any of my calls or texts. I'm just so frustrated and I don't know what to do." Mina cried into her hands

“No, no, don’t cry, Celeste put her arm around her and frantically looked around, uhh here go to my music and play my throwback jams playlist.”

Mina took her phone and played the first song. It was Hot’N Here by Nelly. As the song started Celeste stood up and mouthed the words. Mina laughed and shook her head,

“What are you doing?”

Celeste started dancing and popped the booty she didn’t have right in front of Mina. She only took one year of hip hop versus six years of contemporary and modern dance lessons but she just wanted Mina to laugh. Celeste turned to face her,

“Okay come on, you’re a little impressed.”

Mina nodded then looked over Celeste’s shoulder. Celeste was too busy dancing to hear someone behind her. She spun around and immediately stopped. Ian quickly looked away and pursed his lips together. Celeste sighed and walked over to him,

“What do you want Ian?”

He shook his head and walked closer,

“Nothing, sorry, I was just mesmerized. You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Celeste stepped closer, so Mina couldn’t hear their conversation,

“What are you doing here? I told you I would meet you after class.” She said putting emphasis on the word after.

“I know, I just wanted to make sure you didn’t forget.” He smiled.

“I didn’t, now go away.”

“Okay, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, nice dance moves, by the way.”

She had no clever retort besides to back away from him and walk back to Mina,

“Can I have my phone back?” she asked.

Mina smiled and handed it over to Celeste,

“To be honest, I was kind of mesmerized too.” Mina bumped her shoulder into Celeste’s.

Celeste shook her head and bumped Mina back,

“You could have told me he was behind me.”

“I did, Mina moved her eyebrows up and down, I did that but you were too busy getting “lit” Also what was that little exchange about?”

Celeste shook her head and looped her arm through Mina’s,

“It was nothing, he was just asking me about homework.” They walked 

Celeste wasn’t sure if Mina believed her but she didn’t push the issue. It wasn’t a big deal that she was meeting up with Ian later but Celeste wasn’t sure why she agreed to it in the first place. Ian gave her an out but Celeste didn’t want one, she wanted to spend time with him to try to understand him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

While Celeste was in class, the weather got a lot warmer. As soon as she stepped outside she took off her jacket, tied it around her waist and pulled her hair up into a pony tail. She was about to text Ian and find out where he was at when she felt someone’s hot breath on her neck,

“Hey, she jumped and clenched her fists ready to hit whoever it was, you look nice.” Ian smiled and looked her up and down. Instead of feeling disgusted or trying to hide, she stared into his eyes. In the direct light they looked more green than brown, it was a nice detail that she never noticed. The same for the tiny mole on the corner of his mouth, she looked away shook her head,

“You don’t have to lie to me, I saw myself this morning in the mirror.”

“Well you should get rid of that mirror.”

“Can we just, go for this walk?”

“Sure, Ian walked next to Celeste, so how was your class?”

“Fine.”

“Did you eat lunch yet?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to answer all of my questions using only one word?”

“Maybe.”

Ian smirked and kept walking. He picked up a rock and threw it into the river next to him.

“You know it’s so hot I might just take a dip in the river.”

“I’ll give you push.” She gave him a half smile.

“Yeah I bet you would.”

They walked in silence with only sounds of the water and their footsteps. The sun’s rays shined through the tree branches as they gently swayed with the wind. A stone that Ian kicked bounced off her foot,

“Oops.” He shrugged his shoulders

She narrowed her eyes at him and kicked it back towards him twice as hard,

“Oops.” She mocked him.

Ian laughed to himself, reached his hand up and plucked some leaves off the tree. He slowed down, walked behind Celeste and tossed a leaf on top of her head. She stopped walking, turned to face him and nearly ran into him,

“Really, what are you five?” she crossed her arms over her chest.

“Actually it’s more like five and half.”

She pursed her lips and shook her head,

“I don’t get it.”

“Get what?”

“Why can’t you act like this all time, besides the dick joke, you’re actually not that bad.”

“Well maybe I’m just misunderstood and I’m scared to let anyone close because mommy loved designer clothes more than me and daddy never came to my football games.”

“Yeah maybe, can I ask you a question and get an honest answer, no bullshit?”

Ian pursed his lips and titled his head from side to side like he was weighing the option,

“Yes.”

“Did you apologize to Erica because you knew I wanted you to or because you actually feel bad for what you did?”

Ian sighed and winced like he was in pain,

“It was kind of both, he paused, but mostly the first one.” He let out a breath like he was waiting for Celeste to yell at him or walk away.

She nodded and kept walking. When Ian didn’t follow she looked over her shoulder and motioned to him,

“Are you done walking or what?”

Ian smiled and caught up with Celeste. They walked beside each other until they reached the bridge. Celeste walked out onto in and leaned her arms against the railing. She smiled and took in the sight of the river below her. Ian walked up next to her and bumped his shoulder into hers playfully,

“So, on a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you think I’m an asshole now?”

“It’s still a solid 6, Celeste’s lips curved into a smile. Ian let out breath as she bumped his shoulder, why do you care so damn much what I think about you?”

“I think it’s pretty obvious why I care, he lowered his voice, you just don’t want to admit it.”

She shifted uncomfortably and stood up straight,

“You don’t like me Ian, you like the challenge, you said so yourself.” her expression hardened.

He acknowledged what she said by nodding and lowering his head,

“That might have been true at first but now, his eyes darted towards her, I just want to be around you.”

Celeste laughed and shook her head,

“Shut up.” She whispered.

“Go out with me.”

“No.” She stepped away from him and walked back to the path

“Why not?” he ran to keep up with her.

“You mean besides the fact that you are the embodiment of everything I loathe about the male species.”

“Yeah besides that, why won’t you go out with me?” He stood in front of her preventing her from going any further..

“Because…” Celeste couldn’t finish her thought with him staring at her and she couldn’t stop staring at his lips. She looked away from his gaze and felt her cheeks burn red.

“You look cute when you blush.”

“I’m leaving now.” She kept her head down and went around him.

“I’m not going to give up Celeste, you mid as well go out with me.”

Celeste walked away with a smile on her face. She felt like she won something, that she stuck her ground and didn’t give in. Up until Ian asked her out, Celeste actually felt comfortable with him. She also liked that he was honest about his motives for apologizing too Erica. Instead of being turned off by his playful nature she was intrigued by it.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/53/29/eb/5329eba0d0d0835c1f91b0dd4d5be1f9.jpg  
IanJReyes0716: I lost my shirt.  
Sammi342: No complaints here :)  
Freyaaaaas23: Damn boy you are hot af. DM me :)  
MissMia88: Oh my god!! Ur delicious :P  
Britkn33: I can loan you mine :)


	27. Fancy Dinner Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste makes dinner and invites Daisy. Ian visits Celeste in the art room the next day.

Later on, Celeste made dinner for herself, Julien and Daisy who posted a picture of her eating cup of noodles so Celeste invited her over for her baked Italian shepherd’s pie. The music she was playing through her phone got interrupted by a message, it was from Ian.

Ian Reyes: Hey what are your plans for tonight?

Celeste Drummer: I’m making dinner and having Daisy over.

Ian Reyes: Want to add another one to the list :)

Celeste Drummer: Sorry, only made enough for three people.

Ian Reyes: Yeah, Daisy, plus you, plus me makes three!

Celeste Drummer: No…it’s me, my roommate and Daisy. Sorry, maybe next time.

Ian Reyes: Okay fine, I’ll hold you to that. See you tomorrow :)

Julien came out to help Celeste set the table. He counted the plates in his hand and looked over at Celeste,

“Oh, are we having a guest?”

“Yeah I invited Daisy to save her from having a cup of noodles for dinner.”

“Yikes good call, there was a knock at the door, I’ll get it.”

Julien came back with Daisy who wore pj pants with rubber ducks on them and a grey tank top.

“Don’t mind the outfit, I just got out of the shower and I couldn’t be bothered to put real clothes on.”

“That’s totally fine, I have a pair of pj pants with aliens on them that say “I’m out of this world” so no judgement here.”

“I have unicorn PJ’s, Julien gasped, I know, how about we have a fancy dinner pj party!” Julien shouted and jumped up and down.

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“Okay, I’m in.”

Instead of sitting at the table, Celeste, Daisy and Julien ate their food on the couch and watched Family Feud.

“Oh my god Celeste, this is so good, Daisy said with her mouth full, where did you learn how to cook?” she swallowed her bite before she asked her question.

“Umm mostly YouTube videos and just trying to use whatever we had in the house which wasn’t normally much.”

“Didn’t your mom cook for you?”

Julien shot a glance at Celeste over Daisy’s head. Celeste stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork and shoved it in her mouth,

“Not really, my mom’s idea of cooking was boxed mac n cheese and sliced hot dogs.”

“That’s like my drunk food, speaking of drunk, Julien stood up with his bowl, I’m going to go changed because Rinaldo and I are going to grab drinks.”

“Wow so things must be going well, this what, date number 4 or 5.”

“It’s 5, I’ve been keeping track my god what is this boy doing to me.” Julien dramatically fanned himself and walked towards his room.

“Wash your bowl out Juju!” Celeste shouted.

“Yes mother!” he shouted back.

“Awe look at my little sister on her way to prom, Daisy showed her phone to Celeste, you know I’m proud of her for going alone. I wish I would have done that but no I went with this guy named Leo, he was cute but not that bright, anyway we were dancing and then all of a sudden his dick got rock hard, she stopped, sorry you probably don’t want to hear this because....”

“You mean because I’m a virgin, Daisy winced, look just because I haven’t had sex doesn’t mean you have to censor yourself. Besides, I didn’t go to prom so please continue your story and let me live vicariously through you.”

“Are you sure, Celeste nodded, okay well since I gave him a boner I felt bad cause I’ve heard it can be painful so I jerked him off in the boys bathroom, long story short at the end of the night I found him hooking up with someone who was also named Daisy but looked like a dollar store version of Snooki.”

“Wow, that story had a lot of twists and turns, Celeste bit her bottom lip, hey um didn’t you say something about going to the same school as Ian, Daisy nodded, so what was he like in high school?”

“Umm well we weren’t really friends but we did have mutual friends. He threw a lot of parties, played basketball and hung out with the popular crowd. I remember he wasn’t at prom because he had already been kicked out.”

“Why was he kicked out?”

“I think he got into a fight and he hit a teacher who was trying to break it up, I don’t remember why. You should talk to Stephen, him and Ian were best friends in high school and it seems like they still are.”

“Stephen as in the guy Mina’s been talking to, Daisy nodded, I didn’t realize they knew each other that well.”

Daisy shook her head,

“Yeah and come to think of it, I think the reason Ian got into a fight was because was because someone was messing with Stephen.”

“I can’t really imagine that, Stephen’s pretty well built.”

“Yeah but he wasn’t in high school, he definitely had a glow up but what about you Celeste, got any embarrassing stories from high school.”

“I’ve got embarrassing stories from last week, Celeste laughed, I once went to a school dance in middle school looking like a candle. I had red hair and a white dress, worst decision ever.”

“You, with red hair, I can’t picture it.”

“Yeah I went through some rough times and dying my hair was my way of trying to take control of my life which meant a lot of hair mistakes.”

“I get that, when my grandmother died I shaved my eyebrows off. I don’t know why I did it but I just wanted to do something drastic to forget that she was gone.” Daisy laughed then looked away.

Celeste comforted her by resting her hand on Daisy’s. Daisy looked up with tears in her eyes. Seeing Daisy upset made Celeste look at her differently. She was close to all of the girls but Daisy always seemed so happy and full of life and like nothing bad had ever happened to her.

“You know, maybe you should write something about her for the blog in her memory.” Celeste suggested.

Daisy sniffled and wiped her eyes

“Yeah, maybe I could do that. God look at me crying oh Dios mío. Okay I should get going, Daisy stood up and gave Celeste a hug, thank you for dinner and for everything.”

“You’re welcome anytime you want to come over just let me know.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Celeste decided to use her lunch break to finish her painting for her art class. She danced around the room with a paint brush in one hand and a paint pallet in the other. Recreating the painting with neutral colors seemed like a cool idea at the time but it started to look like she made it with dirt. She sighed and took a step back.

Maybe if I add a mossy green with a brown it would look better but also still be a neutral color, she thought to herself

Celeste danced towards the cabinet and grabbed the two colors she needed. Mixing colors was something she struggled with because she added too much of one color instead of having a balance between the two.

She poured out some of the brown and added a little bit of the green until it looked like a usable color. It didn’t turn out how she wanted but it was supposed to be her interpretation of the original. Celeste changed the song and walked to the easel singing with the paint cup in her hands,

“Got a boy back home in Michigan and it tastes like Jack when I'm kissing him so I told him that I never really liked his friends now he's gone and he's calling me a, she jumped back, the paint in the cup spilled out onto the floor and onto her, what the hell Ian?”

Celeste pulled her headphones out and scowled at him. He laughed and held up his hands,

“Sorry didn’t mean to scare ya, she grabbed a paper towel and bent down to clean it up, here let me help you.”

“I got it, she pushed him away and stood up, what are you doing in here?”

“I was walking pass and I saw you in the window so, I decided to come say hi.”

“Well now that you have, you can leave and let me finish this.” She pushed him towards the door.

He maneuvered away from her and turned around,

“Or maybe I can help you?”

“Or you can leave me alone like I’ve asked you dozens of times, he opened his mouth to say something but Celeste cut him off, but you just keeping on asking me thinking you’ll wear me down, he nodded and put his hand over his mouth to suppress his laughter, what’s so god damn funny?!”

He pointed to her face,

“You’ve got something on your face.”

“Oh is this a pick up line where you say, “You’ve got something on your face.” And then I frantically look and see nothing so I say “Where” and then you try to kiss me and say there because if you try it I will shove this paint brush so far…”

He shook his head, reached his hand out and wiped the tip of her nose with his finger,

“It’s just paint.” He laughed.

Celeste shook her head and laughed,

“Why are you doing this, honest answer please?”

“Because I think we would have a good time together and I’ve been planning this date for weeks.”

“What did you plan that took weeks to prepare?”

“I guess you’ll have to say yes, he leaned in, and find out

Celeste sighed and threw her hand up,

“You know what fine, his eyes lit up, but you can’t tell anyone about it.”

“Don’t worry, I can keep a secret.”

“I mean it Ian, I’ll agree to this but only to prove to you that you can’t woo me, I am un woo-able.”

“We’ll see about that, I’ll pick you up around 7.”

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/79/31/68/793168805ed6b45995f40de612df4dcc.jpg  
SweetDaisee99: “Dinner time!”  
OhhhStar17: “No…no absolutely not! Drop the cup of noodles and get your butt over here. You’re coming for dinner.”


	28. The Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste finally agrees to go out with Ian just to prove to him that she has no interest in him but her plan backfires. As she start to enjoy herself, they get interrupted.

Celeste stood in front of the mirror and held a blue and white button down shirt to her chest. She threw it on the bed behind her and grabbed a black t-shirt with phrase “To thine own self be true” written on it and held that up to her. Her phone buzzed on the dresser next to her. She put down the shirt and just decided to where the white turtle neck she already had on. Her phone buzzed on the dress next to her, it was a message from Ian,

Ian Reyes: Hey I’m here. Should I come up and meet the roommate?

Celeste Drummer: No! I’ll be down in a minute.

Ian Reyes: Okay :)

“What are you doing?”

Celeste whipped her head towards the door and saw Julien standing there in her purple fluffy robe. She rolled her eyes and sat down on the edge of the bed,

“I’m going out, Celeste put her boot on and zipped it up, what are you doing wearing my robe?”

Julien spun the belt around and sauntered towards her,

“Aren’t you more curious about what I have on underneath?”

She put her other boot on and shook her head,

“Not really, I’ve seen way too much of you Juju.”

He sat down next to Celeste and grabbed her hand,

“Where are you going? Are you going out with your girls? Can I come along, please?” he pouted.

“I’m not going out with the girls.” Celeste got up and walked over to her mirror. She grabbed a hair tie and pulled back her hair into a pony tail.

“Oh my god, Celeste, little miss virginity herself is going out on a date!” Julien hugged her waist and put his head on her shoulder.

Celeste shook her head and grabbed her red lipstick,

“No, it’s not a date, not really. I’m just hanging out casually with a…friend…sort of.” She applied it to her top lip then pressed her lips together.

“Okay and who is this friend of yours that you are putting red lipstick on for?”

Celeste put the lipstick down, grabbed a tissue and wiped it away,

“It’s uhh ...Ian.” Celeste quickly grabbed her purse, turned off her light and left her room. Julien ran up behind Celeste as she was putting on her cardigan and turned her around to face him,

“Wait, wait, you’re going on a date with Ian?”

“No it’s not a date, I’m just going to spend an hour listening to him talk about himself and then he promised to leave me alone.”

“Does Erica know about it?”

“No, no one knows it.”

“So, you’re going out with Ian to prove to him that you don’t want to go out with him?”

“Yeah, what’s the big deal?”

“Ugh, straight people are so complicated.”

“Just don’t say anything okay, I’ll be back later.”

“Unless things go well, Julien nudged her with his hand, then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Celeste rolled her eyes and left the apartment. She stood across the street, watching Ian in his car until he saw her and got out of the car. He walked around to the passenger side door, looked up and beckoned Celeste with his finger. She wrapped her cardigan around her and walked over to his car. Ian smiled as she approached and opened her door for her. She smirked, shook her head and got in the car. He got in the car and turned towards her,

“Hey.” He said enthusiastically.

“Hi.”

“Are you ready to go?”

Celeste nodded and felt him staring at her. She told herself not to look, to be as uninterested as possible. He looked her up and down which made Celeste shift uncomfortably in the seat,

“What?”

“Are you wearing the same thing you had on today?”

“Yeah, I am. Do you have a problem with that?”

“Not at all, you look good in anything.”

Celeste sighed and crossed her arms over her chest,

“Sorry if it isn’t fancy enough for what you planned.”

“Don’t be, it’s perfect.”

Celeste turned and looked in the back seat,

“What’s in the bag?”

“It’s a surprise.”

She reached her hand back to see what was inside but Ian grabbed it and held onto it,

“Do you not understand what a surprise means? Let me guess you were that kid who snuck into her parents room to try and find her Christmas gifts, right?”

“I don’t like surprises.”

He let go of her hand,

“You like to be in control, don’t you?”

“Maybe, does that bother you?”

“No, it’s actually kind of a turn on.”

Celeste rolled her eyes and looked out the window. Ian grabbed his phone and switched the song to Hot N Here by Nelly. Celeste looked over at him and sighed,

“Really?”

He shrugged his shoulders,

“What, I thought you would appreciate it.”

Celeste leaned forward, turned the volume down and flopped back against the seat. Ian laughed and drummed his fingers against the steering wheel and hummed the song.

“I know what you’re doing.” Her mouth curved into a smile.

“She speaks. Oh, speak again, bright angel.”

“And now you’re quoting Shakespeare, all of the cliche's have been checked.”

“How am I a cliche?” Ian asked

“I think the better question is, how are you not?”

Ian shrugged his shoulders and sat up in his seat,

“Well I guess it takes one to know one.”

Celeste whipped her head in his direction and shifted in her seat,

“Are you calling me a cliche?”

“Yeah, if I’m one then so are you.”

“How am I a cliche?”

“Well you’re the girl who acts tough because she thinks she has too, or because something happened that made you that way, Celeste glanced over at him, at one point in your life you were happy, like really happy and confident but now you just want to blend in or disappear so no one can see you.”

Celeste looked away from Ian,

“Nice diagnosis doctor, where’d you get your degree?” she said defensively.

“Asshole University, I gave the valedictorian speech and they put up a statue in my honor.”

Celeste pursed her lips together and nodded,

“I believe it, Celeste looked out the window and recognized where they were, why are we at the college?”

Ian pulled over, parked along the street and turned the car off,

“It’s part of the surprise, he got out of the car and opened the door to grab the bag in the back, if you don’t come along you’ll miss out.”

Celeste took a few deep breaths before getting out of the car and following him. Instead of walking next to him she stayed a few steps behind. He walked until they reached the library and looked up. She walked up next to him and looked around,

“Wow you’re right it is a surprise that you know where the library is, can we go now?”

As she walked away he grabbed her arm and pointed to the stairwell,

“They leave it open but the lights aren’t on, he dug into the bag and pulled out a flashlight, hope you’re not scared of the dark.” He turned it on and shined it around.

“I’m not scared, I’m cautious, mostly around guys like you.” Celeste grabbed his hand and shined the flashlight into his eyes.

Ian held open the door for her. Once the door closed she realized how dark it was. One source of light wasn’t enough for her so she used the flashlight on her phone and walked ahead of him.

“What do you mean guys like me, you don’t even know me.” He said sounding slightly offended.

It wasn’t something that Celeste picked up on because she was too busy trying not to trip up the stairs. She laughed, turned around and shined her light at Ian,

“Please, I know your make and model and I’m not interested or impressed.”

“So why did you come with me tonight?” he took the steps two at a time until he was walking next to her.

“You gave me no choice.”

“We always have a choice and you could’ve said no but you didn’t, so why are you really here Celeste?” he looked down at his phone.

“If that’s one of your booty calls, you can go ahead and answer it, I won’t be here long.”

“Nice try, he pushed open the door to the roof, just answer my question.”

“Because if I didn’t agree to this, you would have kept harassing me.”

“Is that how you feel, that I’m harassing you, Celeste looked away and shrugged her shoulders, I’m not trying to harass you Celeste, I just want to get to know you. I know you think I’m some fuck boy with no feelings who collects the broken hearts of girls in a jar or something but I’m not and I just want to prove that to you, so will you give me that chance?”

There was something in his eyes and his voice that made Celeste stop the next thing from coming out of her mouth. He looked genuinely hurt. She softened her gaze,

“Yeah, she nodded, okay.”

Celeste walked over to the edge, looked out at the campus below her and sat down about ten feet from the edge. Ian sat down next to her with a huge smile on his face. She pointed to the bag he brought with,

“What else do you have in there?”

“I have, he dug around and pulled out two bottles, non-alcoholic beer because I know you don’t drink and, he reached in and pulled out a box, some powdered doughnuts because who doesn’t like doughnuts.”

Celeste took the bottle from him and examined it. She put her sleeve over her palm and opened the bottle. She smelled it and looked over at him as he did the same thing. They both took a sip and immediately spit it out and started coughing,

“Oh my god, that’s disgusting. I should’ve just bought beer.” He laughed and wiped his chin.

Celeste laughed and reached for the box of doughnuts,

“Yeah you probably should have. I need one of these to get that taste out of my mouth.”

“I know another way, she glared at him and leaned away, I was just making a joke Celeste, okay lighten up a bit.”

“Oh so I need to lighten up because I don’t think being vulgar is funny?”

“It was a joke, I didn’t actually mean anything by it.”

“Well of course it was to you because you’re a guy and you don’t have to worry about comments like that. You don’t have to worry about your outfit being to revealing before you leave the house or double check whether or not you have your pepper spray with you. Everything is so fucking easy for you. You can flirt with whoever you want and say whatever you want and not give a second thought of what it might do to someone else.”

“So how should I flirt with girls?” he looked at his phone again and placed it back in his pants pocket.

“Are you sure you don’t wanna answer that, she’s probably dtf bro.” she playfully punched his arm.

“Bro, Celeste shrugged her shoulders, no I want you to tell me how I should flirt, where do I start?”

“Well you can start by flirting with girls who are actually interested in you, aka not me.”

“Okay but let’s say hypothetically if you were, he turned to face her, show me how to flirt with you. What should I do? What should I say? What shouldn’t I say or do? I’ve been trying so damn hard to get you to like me.”

“It’s not going to happen.” She laughed and looked straight ahead.

“Why not?”

“You really want me to do this, she turn to him and he nodded, okay then, you are so self-centered that it would take you a very long time to notice if everyone on earth vanished right now, you think you’re special or entitled and that’s probably because you’re an only child and you grew up with two parents that told you the sun shines out of your ass. You’d probably make out with a trash can in if it grew tits and the biggest turn off is your hair.”

“What’s wrong with my hair?”

“Well for starters, it’s always in your face, without thinking she reached over and moved it away, it is really soft though.” Celeste pulled her hand away and distracted herself with another doughnut from the box.

“Thanks and actually you’re wrong about me being an only child. I had a sister.”

She noticed that he used the past tense and lowered her voice,

“What uhh happened to her?” Celeste swallowed her bite and wiped her mouth discreetly.

“She passed away a couple of years ago.” Ian said as he took another sip of the nonalcoholic beer.

“I’m sorry, what was her name?”

“Grace.” He looked up and smiled.

Celeste could see tears in his eyes. She didn’t know what to say or how much Ian was willing to say about his sister so she didn’t want to ask any questions even though she had them.

“I’ve always liked that name, it sounds pretty.”

Ian glanced over at her and smiled,

“I think Celeste is a pretty name too.”

“Thanks, she said quietly then added, I’m an only child so I can’t even imagine what it’s like to lose a sibling.”

“It was really hard, my sister and I we, he paused to clear his throat, we just knew things about each other and we could feel when ones of us was upset. They say that only happens with siblings who are twins but that’s the way it was with us.”

“I’ve never had that kind of bond with anyone, sounds a bit scary to be honest. I like being the only person who knows what I’m actually thinking or feeling.”

She took another bite of the doughnut to stop herself from talking too much. The longer Celeste sat with Ian the more comfortable she felt with him. She had to admit there was something about him. He had this look in his eye, coaxing her into a place where she wasn’t thinking about what she should or shouldn’t say.

“I kind of want to know what you’re thinking right now.”

“A lot, there’s always a lot on my mind.” She mumbled

“Tell me everything, don’t hold back.”

Celeste took a deep breath and expelled the chaos in her head,

“I’m thinking I should have worn a warmer sweater because it’s cold, especially up here and the fact that we are so high up that no one can see us right now. One of us could jump or be pushed and no one would know what happened besides us. I’m thinking about the paper I have to write and how I’ll wait till the last minute to finish it just to put some added stress on myself because there’s a part of me that likes being stressed because it feels normal. Also I’m thinking about the stars and how I would love nothing more than to lay here and watch them all night and that you’re not as bad as I thought you were.”

“Well, he unzipped his jacket and put it around her shoulders, I can at least take one thing off your mind. He gently patted her shoulders

Celeste put her arms through the arm holes and zipped it up,

“Thanks, Ian leaned in and squinted, what are you looking at?”

“You know I never noticed that you have freckles on your nose, he pointed to her ear, you’ve got a few on your ear too.”

She leaned away from him and laughed,

“Really, I had no idea, he rolled his eyes and looked away, what am I ruining your attempts to win me over by pointing out my facial features?”

“Uh yeah kinda, he laughed and looked over at her, you’re something else Celeste.”

“Thank you, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me Ian.”

“You said my name right, he elbowed her playfully, see I’m growing on ya.”

Celeste laughed and shook her head. He smiled at her and she smiled back, not a forced smile like when people took her photo but a real genuine smile. He stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes. Celeste bumped her shoulder into his,

“If you keep making that face it’ll stay stuck that way.”

“What way, this is just how my face looks.” He pushed himself against her.

Celeste shook her head and pushed him back with her hand,

“Stop it, Ian grabbed her hand, you’re such a weirdo.”

He laughed and looked over at Celeste. Celeste looked down at their hands clasped together, then up at him. She gazed around to confirm with herself that they were completely alone. No one could see them which meant no one would know if she kissed him. She looked down at his lips and leaned her body towards him. Ian closed his eyes and leaned in. His phone vibrated against the ground,

Ian sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. Celeste took a deep breath and felt her cheeks warm up. I can’t believe how close I just got to kissing Ian Reyes, she thought to herself.

“Shit, I gotta go.” Ian stood up and dumped out the rest of his non-alcoholic beer.

“Why what’s wrong?” Celeste stood up as he jumped out hers too.

“It’s nothing, we just need to go.” He tried to take her hand but she scoffed and walked away.

They drove in complete silence but Ian did look over at Celeste several times. She leaned her head against her arm and stared out the window. Celeste should have felt relieved but she wasn’t, she was mad at Ian, mad at whomever texted him and mad at herself. I should have never even entertained the idea of kissing him, she thought as she stared up at the street lights zooming past.

As soon as Ian pulled up in front of Celeste’s apartment she got out of the car and slammed his door. She sighed and turned back around,

“Okay, just so we’re clear I did what you asked and even though it wasn’t terrible, I’m still never going to be interested in you, okay?” she stepped and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Okay Celeste, you win.” He nodded and drove away.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/9c/ab/af/9cabaf8bddef36a21517329f220cd493.jpg  
OhhhStar17: I told the moon all the things I couldn't say to you because I knew deep down it wasn't meant for you to hear


	29. It Meant Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their "date" Celeste has conflicting feelings about Ian and they get even more confusing the next day.

Celeste muttered angrily to herself as she climbed the stairs to her apartment,

“I never noticed your freckles, she took out her key and opened the door, such an idiot.” She looked down and realized she still had on Ian’s black bomber jacket. Celeste unzipped it, took it off and threw it on the ground. She took a few steps towards the hallway, turned around, picked the jacket back off the floor and carried it with her to her room. As soon as she opened the door Celeste had to hold back a scream. She tip toed over to her bed and leaned over. Mina was curled up in her bed, fast asleep. Celeste draped Ian’s jacket over her desk chair and walked across the hall to Julien’s room.

“Julien, Celeste whisper screamed, twisted the knob then opened the door. She turned away from him and Rinaldo doing naked yoga together, why isn’t your door locked?!”

“I get off on the idea of someone catching me, it spices things up, he put her robe on and blew a kiss to Rinaldo before following Celeste, so how was your date?”

“I told you it wasn’t a date, she grabbed him by his arm and dragged him into the living room, why is Mina in my bed?”

“Oh shit, I forgot about her. Uh well she came over to talk boy stuff with you and you weren’t home so I took care of her by letting her vent to me and getting her really drunk.”

“What did you say to her about me not being home?”

“I said you had a late therapy appointment, sorry I didn’t know what else to say.”

“That’s fine, thanks for covering for me.”

“Celeste?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re not a terrible person if you say you had a good time tonight.”

“Parts of it were bearable and that’s all I’m going to say about it.”

 

Celeste quietly entered her room and shut the door. Mina jumped and turned around to face Celeste.

“Hey.”

“Hi, Celeste came in and sat down next to Mina, sorry I wasn’t here earlier, are you okay?”

“I kissed someone.” Mina put her head against Celeste’s shoulder to hide her face.

“What, when?”

She picked her head up and groaned,

“Tonight before I came here. Malcolm broke up with me over Facebook messenger and I was upset, so I called Neh but she was out and then I called you but your phone was off so I met up with Stephen and we had a few drinks and we kissed. God, what is wrong with me ?” Mina put her head in Celeste’s lap.

“Nothing is wrong with you, Malcolm hasn’t been treating you right and Stephen is paying all of this attention to you which freaked you out at first but now it feels kind nice and it’s something you might be able to get used to but it also feels wrong because it goes against everything you stand for and….” Celeste stopped and looked down where Mina was fast asleep.

 

The next day Mina and Celeste went to a diner for breakfast because Mina needed in her words, “something greasy and unhealthier then how much alcohol she consumed last night”. They texted the group chat and asked Nehemie, Daisy and Erica if they wanted to join them.

Daisy Torres: Sure, just woke up so give me a few.

Erica Wright: Same, Neh can you come pick me up my car is acting up.

Nehemie Cambre: Sure thing, do you want a ride too Daisy?

Daisy Torres: Sure, text me before you leave.

Nehemie Cambre: Sure thing mamma

~~~~~~~~~At the diner~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh my god, did you see this?” Mina handed Celeste her phone

“Jeez what the hell happened to him?” Celeste saw a picture of Stephen with a deep purple bruise, busted up lip and gash on his forehead

“Apparently he got into a fight with a bunch of guys after I ran away like a chicken. It was only him, Garret and Peter so they were outnumbered. Ian didn’t show up until the fight was over and Stephen’s still in the hospital. Oh there they are.”

Mina waved over Erica, Daisy and Nehemie. Celeste stood up so Erica and Nehemie could slide in and leaned across the table to Mina,

“Maybe we should talk about this later.”

“Hey guys, did you hear what happened to Stephen?” Erica said as she approached the table and showed Celeste the same picture she just saw.

“Uh yeah, it really sucks, Celeste pushed menus towards them, we should order before this place fills up.”

“Oh my god, Ian, peter and Garret just walked in.” Daisy leaned across the table and whispered, all of them looked except Celeste. Ian walked past their table with Garret and Peter following behind him. They didn’t look as bad as Stephen did in the photo but Celeste did see bruises and cuts on both of their faces. Even though she couldn’t see Ian’s face, Celeste could tell by the way he walked that he was upset.

“Apparently Stephen is still in the hospital because one of his ribs was cracked and they were worried he might have a concussion.” Erica whispered.

“Jesus, he gets beat up and dumped in the same night, poor guy.” Daisy said.

“What do you mean dumped?” Mina choked on her water.

“Yeah someone saw him making out with some girl, they took a picture and sent it to Mallory. She posted the picture on Insta and dumped him. You can’t really see the girl in the picture because it was dark.”

Celeste only half listened to what her friends said; she watched Ian sit down in booth across the room. He glanced over at her with a scowl on his face. Celeste looked away and sunk lower in her seat.

After the waitress came by and took their order Celeste tried to pull her attention away from Ian but she couldn’t. She wanted to know if he was alright or if he blamed her for what happened to Stephen. If he wasn’t with Celeste Ian could have helped Stephen or Ian could have been hurt too. Celeste saw him get up and head towards the bathroom. Celeste picked at her hash browns with her fork and looked towards the bathroom. She took a sip of her coffee and sighed,

“I’m going to use the bathroom before we go, she pulled some money out of her wallet and handed it to Daisy, here’s my money towards the bill and tip.”

Celeste leaned up against the wall outside the bathroom and picked at her nails as she waited for Ian to come out. As soon as the door opened she picked her head up,

“Hey.” She pushed herself away from the wall and walked over to him.

“Hey.” He looked at her then glanced away.

Celeste lowered her head to get Ian to look at her,

“I heard about what happened to Stephen, I’m sorry.”

“For what, you didn’t beat him up?”

He was hurt but Celeste couldn’t tell if his anger was towards her or himself.

“I know but you were with me when it happened.” She leaned in closer and looked to see if anyone was coming around the corner.

“I’m sorry, who are you again?” he glared at her and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Look I get that you’re upset but it’s not like it really meant that much to you, right?”

As soon as she said it she wanted to take it back, to rewind time and just stick to making sure he was okay. 

“I ignored my best friend’s calls last night but yeah your right, it meant nothing to me Celeste.”

Ian brushed past her and walked away. Celeste stood there replaying their conversation over and over in her head. The way they left things sounded like Celeste finally got her wish, Ian was going to leave her alone but, an uneasy feeling gnawed at her for the rest of the day.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a6/e7/95/a6e79537deea613971d66debc6c09952.jpg

OhhhStar17: Editing pictures of @MinaBoBINA97 and I'm just in awe of her beauty  
MinaBoBINA97:” OMGGGG No way is that me??! Oh my god, girl you’re out here making me look like a damn super model!! <3 you.”  
LittleFoot693: “WOW! You look so pretty Mina!”


	30. Unexpected Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste goes to therapy and talks about what happened and how she feels guilty. The next day she decides to visit Stephen in the hospital.   
> *Just wondering if there's anything people want to see happen or things I should/could change. I do have quite a bit of this written out or thought out in my mind. I'm slowly building the relationship between Ian and Celeste because I think it's more realistic and authentic to who she is as a character but, there's plenty of good old fluff coming up in the next chapters :)*

“You can go ahead; I’ll be back there as soon as I grab your chart.” Teresa called from her desk.

Celeste nodded and walked down the hall, the sound machines outside the three closed doors were a mixture of thunderstorm sounds and bird noises. She stopped and looked at the wall art. A plaque with the phrase, “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always” caught her eye.

“I like that one too, Teresa came up behind Celeste and put her hand on her shoulder, it’s such a simple thing that people don’t think about. We tend to be too focused on ourselves and our problems so it’s a good little reminder, Teresa looked Celeste up and down, I like your jacket, is it new?”

Celeste laughed and followed Teresa into the room,

“Uh yeah, sort of, she lifted the collar of Ian’s jacket and inhaled his scent, thanks for seeing me on a Saturday. I’m sure you have better stuff to do with your time then listen to me complain.” Celeste sat down and silenced her phone. 

“Actually my husband is out of town this weekend so my big plans were to clean out the garage so you’re saving me from that. How was your week?”

Celeste had this weird moment when Teresa mentioned her husband. In over a year she never mentioned him and Celeste never thought about her Teresa’s life. Did she have kids, Celeste thought to herself. Teresa looked about 50 so it was possible she even had grandchildren. She had this entire life that Celeste knew nothing about. She stopped thinking about the fact that Teresa knew so much about her and answered her question,

“Uhh…interesting…unexpected and disappointing.” Celeste sighed thinking about how well everything was going when saw was out with Ian and how that changed so quickly.

“Okay let’s start with how it was interesting.”

“Well I’ve been spending time with Ian, Teresa sat forward, not like in a romantic way just sort of as friends, I guess.”

“That is interesting, what made you want to do that?”

“I don’t really know, he helped me with my Biology quiz one night and then we took a walk by the river the next day and he was, Celeste leaned back and smiled, different than before. He was being silly and it felt nice. Then he asked me out and I freaked out but he asked me again on Friday and I said yes.”

Teresa nodded and put down her clipboard,

“What made you say yes on Friday and not before?”

Celeste shrugged and rubbed the back of her neck,

“I don’t know, when I asked him why he wanted to go out with me he didn’t say any of the things I thought he’d say. He didn’t say like oh because I think your hot or that he wanted to just hook up. He was honest with me and it was unexpected.”

“So what you’re saying he’s not exactly who you thought he was and perhaps getting to know him is changing your opinion of him, Celeste nodded, so what happened on your, Teresa stopped herself, I mean what happened when you went out with him?”

“Well I’ll admit that at first I was being kind of bitchy because I just wanted to get it over with and I was nervous cause I didn’t know what he had planned. I also kind of told him that he was harassed me into coming on the date.”

“Is that how you really felt?”

Celeste nodded,

“Yeah at first but then he told he just wanted to get to know me and I believed him. It made me feel less nervous around him and we talked and when I talked he really listened. He didn’t expect anything from me, he just wanted to hang out. I haven’t had that since…” Celeste stopped and picked at her nails.

“Well it sounds like it was a pretty good night and it’s something you should be proud of. You managed to see past the similarities between Ian and the guy friends you had before and let him get close to you. There’s nothing disappointing about that, that’s growth.”

If only Teresa knew just how close I got to Ian last night Celeste thought to herself.

She sighed and nodded,

“Yeah but that’s not the disappointing part, that part came later. Ian kept getting messages and checking his phone throughout the night and the last time he did it was when the, Celeste sighed, date ended. I’ll admit I was pissed because I had no idea who texted him and made him want to just end the night so abruptly. I figured it was a girl ya know, he got a better offer.”

“Did you ask him who texted him?”

“Not really, I just asked him what was wrong and he said nothing just that we had to leave. I found out this morning that the reason he left was because his friend Stephen got into a fight and he got messed up pretty bad, so know I feel like an asshole for getting mad but I’m also glad that Ian was with me because he wasn’t hurt. It’s just a messed up situation and I tried to make it better and I just ended up making it worse.” Celeste groaned and looked up at the ceiling.

“How do you think you made things worse?”

“I saw Ian today and I said I was sorry for what happened to Stephen because he was with me instead of helping his friend and I felt guilty and I didn’t want him to be upset with me but he was and instead of saying something to defuse the situation I told him that going out with me wasn’t actually a big deal to him anyway so he shouldn’t be that upset. Then he told me I was right and that it meant nothing to him, which hurt…a lot.”

Teresa nodded and leaned forward,

“I think maybe you just chose the wrong time to talk to him because given what you’ve told me and how much he’s done to get your attention; it didn’t mean nothing to him. To me, someone who is an outsider, it seems like it meant a lot to him, Teresa lowered her head to get Celeste to look at her, and to you too. It’s okay if don’t want to admit that, these feelings are new for you. You just need to take some time, think about things and try talking to Ian again once you’ve both had time, okay?”

Celeste nodded and took a deep breath to expel the anxiety she felt building up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Celeste woke up early, went for a run and came back to the apartment to work on another blog post. It was one that had been writing for a while but didn’t know if she would ever finish. She knew that if it ever made it onto the blog that it was going to be anonymous. So far the girls only allowed one anonymous blog post on the site. Celeste was worried that people would do too much speculating in the comments so she moderated them and deleted ones that mentioned names of who it could be. She wondered if people would do the same if she ever posted her post about her mom.

A message from Mina popped up in the corner of her screen.

Mina Saray: Hey girl, what are you up to?

Celeste Drummer: Nothing much, what about you? How are you doing with the whole Malcolm/Stephen situation?

Mina Saray: I don’t know…I’m still upset about Malcolm but I’m more worried about Stephen. I feel sooooo bad because maybe if I didn’t run away he wouldn’t have gotten beat up and Mallory dumping him right after. Ughhh I just don’t want him to hate me for what happened.

Celeste Drummer: Trust me I know how you feel but it’s not your fault. You didn’t leave knowing what would happen and I’m like hundred percent positive Stephen does not hate you. Have you talked to him?

Mina Saray: A little, he just told me there keeping him there for a few days and that he couldn’t talk much because his mom was there.

Celeste Drummer: What hospital is he at?

Mina Saray: St. Julie’s Memorial Hospital. I was going to go see him but I’ve got Sunday brunch with my Mom and Aunties.

Celeste Drummer: Sunday brunch, careful Mina you’re rich white girl is showing lol j/k :P

Mina Saray: Haha I know right! I’m going to need to do something afterwards to re-urbanize myself. Okay girl I gotta go get ready, I’ll talk to you later *kisses*

Celeste Drummer: Have fun :)

Celeste clicked the bus schedules page she had saved at the top of her search bar and looked for one that went closest to the hospital. She found one that actually went right to the hospital which meant she didn’t have to worry about walking too much or wondering where the bus was going to pick her up.

She changed out of her yoga pants and long sleeve grey top with the words “good vibes” written on the front that she wore for her run and put on jeans and a blue three quarter length top the she tucked into her pants. She grabbed Ian’s jacket, her book bag and left her room.

The buses only ran until 6 on Sunday so Celeste had to keep that mind even though it was only 12 when she left. It took less than an hour to get to hospital because there weren’t that many people getting off or getting on the bus.

It was pretty calm in the hospital too. Celeste walked in and greeted the receptionist,

“Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me what room Stephen Landon is in?”

On the bus Celeste did a little stalking to find out Stephen’s last name. She couldn’t look him up on Insta though because his account was set to private so she found him through Ian’s Facebook friends, most of which were girls.

“Uh sure, let me just call up to his room and make sure it’s okay for you to go up, your name please?”

“Celeste Drummer, we go to college together.”

“Okay one moment please, she dialed the phone, hi Stephen I have a girl here named Celeste Drummer who wants to come visit you. She says she knows you from college. Uh huh, okay I’ll send her up. He’s on the second floor room 15.”

“Okay thank you.”

Since it was only one floor up, Celeste decided to take the stairs. It gave her time to think about why she came to the hospital to see Stephen. They weren’t really friends and they didn’t even really know each other either but she thought coming to hospital might help her feel less guilty.

As she approached his room she saw that his door was open. Stephen waved at her to come in,

“Hey Celeste, this is unexpected.” Stephen laughed then winced.

“Yeah I know you don’t really know me and this is gonna sound weird but I just wanted to see if you were okay”

“That’s odd but nice of you, wanna sit down?”

“Uh yeah sure, I don’t wanna stay too long and bother you.” She walked into the room and sat down on the chair beside his bed.

“No, it’s fine, my parents and Ian left a while ago so I’ve just been mind numbingly flipping through the channels for the past hour.” He laughed and plopped the remote down next to him.

“Oh, Ian was here earlier?”

“Yeah, I think he feels guilty so he’s trying to make up for it.”

Celeste looked away and nodded

“Yeah I heard he wasn’t when you got beat up, she looked up at him for a sign that Stephen knew, did he say where he was ?”

“No and to be honest I’m glad he wasn’t there, Stephen pushed himself up and groaned, that probably wasn’t a good idea.”

Celeste laughed nervously,

“Yeah probably not, so if you didn’t want him there why did you call him three times that night.”

Stephen pursed his lips and arched his brows in confusion, “How do you know how many times I called him?”

Celeste closed her eyes and mentally slapped herself.

“Because Ian was with me that night, she opened her eyes and looked over at him, I really don’t want anyone to find out though, okay?”

He nodded and smiled to himself, “So you’re the chick he’s been taking about non-stop.”

“He’s been talking about me?” Celeste sat forward.

“Yeah, he never said your name but he’s been acting differently. He’s not really into partying anymore, today he asked me if he should get a haircut, Celeste smiled to herself, and he hasn’t been with a girl or even looked at one since we got back from vacation.”

“Those are pretty normal behaviors.” Celeste looked away because she felt her cheeks getting red.

“Yeah but not for Ian, Stephen lowered his voice, not since his sister died.”

“He told me about her, not everything but a little bit.”

“That’s kind of amazing because he doesn’t talk about her with anyone, not even me and we grew up together.”

The fact that Ian felt comfortable enough to even mention his sister to Celeste made her feel better than she wanted to admit.

“Can I ask what happened to her, Celeste shook her head, I’m sorry if that seemed too pushy I was just wondering.”

“She killed herself five years ago, Stephen’s expression changed, yeah it really fucked him up. He started drinking more and nearly ended up in jail. His parents never really gave a shit about him but they loved Grace and I think they blame him.”

No wonder he didn’t like talking about it, Celeste thought to herself. She tried to swallow that information but it got caught in her throat and made her eyes water.

“Jesus, I had no idea all of that happened to him.”

“Yeah he’s not one to share but, he is a good guy Celeste. He acts like this cocky jackass because it was the only way to get his parents attention when he was younger, Stephen sighed and leaned towards Celeste, Look, I don’t know what the two of you have going on but, he’s been acting more like the guy who beat up a kid for pushing me off the swings in second grade and think it’s because of you.”

Celeste shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, “We don’t really have anything, I mean we did hang out that night and we talk sometimes but, that’s it.”

It was the closest Celeste got to admitting out loud that there was a small part of her that wanted something more with Ian than just what they’ve been doing. She thought about her therapy session and how Teresa said it was okay that Celeste wasn’t ready to admit it. It was okay to feel these feelings, she thought to herself. 

“Okay well can you do me favor and keep an eye on him while I’m in here, just for a few days. I’m worried he’s going to do something even though I told him not to.”

“Who were the guys that beat you up?”

“Mallory’s older brother Tyrus and his friends. You know she cheated on me first, I know that it doesn’t make what I did right but Mina and I were just drunk and upset. We’ve been talking for a little while and that night we just decided to kiss. I don’t even know she likes me.”

“Who Mina, he nodded, well I think Mina is a little confused, Malcolm just broke up with her so I think she needs some time. But I know that she cares about you and if you really care about her just give her that time to figure things out.”

“That’s really good advice Celeste, he smiled, got any advice about what I should do about Mallory?”

“Well I’m not good when it comes to relationships and Mallory scares me to be honest, he laughed, but if it were up to me I would give her space too, lots of space.”

“Fair enough, can I give you a little advice, she nodded, don’t try so hard to figure Ian out, sometimes he does thing without thinking…actually he does that a lot but what he says, he means. So if he says he likes you, he really likes you, no bullshit. And I’m not just saying that because he’s my best friend, I’m saying it because I think you would be good for him.”

Celeste nodded and stood up,

“Okay, I will think about what you said and keep an eye on him for you. I hope you feel better and thanks Stephen, for what it’s worth I already like you more than Malcolm.”

“Yeah, I like me more than Malcolm too.” He winked.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/81/1d/ec/811dec0df06321fe7f644a653cb7b48a.jpg  
OhhhStar17: I've got so many things on my mind right now but the main thing is that I was so wrong about you.


	31. I Want You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen asks Celeste for help. Celeste's attraction towards Ian grows even more after she invites him over for dinner.

Celeste reached up and pulled out the spices she needed for her home made spaghetti sauce when she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. It was a message from Stephen,

Stephen Landon: Hey Celeste, sorry to ask this but Ian just text me and told me he’s sitting in his car outside Tyrus’s house. Can you text him and get him to meet up with you? I’m worried about what he might do.

Celeste Drummer: Yeah I’ll text him and get him to come over to my house, but you owe me!

Stephen Landon: Thanks oh if you see Mina tell her I said hey J

Celeste sent Ian message,

Celeste Drummer: Hey!

Ian Reyes: Hi

It wasn’t the enthusiastic response she was hoping for but at least he answered her, she thought to herself.

Celeste Drummer: What are you up to?

Ian Reyes: I’m kind of busy right now.

Celeste Drummer: What are you doing?

Ian Reyes: I’m sitting in my car, why are you texting me?

Celeste Drummer: I wanted to see you.

Ian Reyes: Why?

Celeste couldn’t tell Ian that Stephen asked her to keep an eye on him but she could tell her own version of the truth.

Celeste Drummer: Because I liked hanging out with you the other night and I owe you a dinner.

Ian Reyes: Okay?

Celeste Drummer: Do you want to come over and hang out?

Ian Reyes: Uhhh…sure, should I bring some non-alcoholic beer and doughnuts?

Celeste Drummer: Hell no to the nonalcoholic beer. I’m making pasta but you can bring the doughnuts for desert if you want.

Ian Reyes: Okay, be there in about twenty minutes

 

Celeste put her phone away and finished adding the spices to her sauce. She reached for a knife to cut up some tomatoes when she heard Julien laugh from down the hall. Shit, she thought to herself, I forgot Julien was here. Celeste put down the knife, sprinted down the hall and knocked on Julien’s door. He opened it completely clothed for once,

“I will give you ten bucks if you leave the house right now without asking me why and don’t come back till I say so.” Celeste reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a ten dollar bill.

“Fifteen and I get to ask one question.” Julien held his hand out.

“Twenty and no questions asked.” Celeste pulled another ten out and dangled it in front of him.

“Deal, save me some food.” He took the money, kissed her cheek and grabbed his jacket.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Twenty minutes later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste was cutting up the garlic bread and putting it in a basket when there was a knock at the door,

“Coming!” she yelled and set the knife down on the counter.

Celeste tightened her ballerina bun , re tucked her white turtleneck into her pants and shook her head,

“What are you doing?” she said to herself in the mirror.

She opened the door and smiled at Ian,

“Hey.”

“Hey, he stepped inside, wow it’s smells amazing in here!” Ian handed Celeste the box of doughnuts in his hand and shrugged off his jean jacket. Celeste caught herself checking him out and shook her head,

“Thanks, you can go sit down and I’ll bring out the food to you.”

Celeste sat down the box of doughnuts, grabbed the pot of spaghetti and balanced the basket of bread on top. Luckily it wasn’t that far from the kitchen to dining room, one of the perks of living in a smaller apartment. She sat down the pot and let Ian take the basket of bread off the top before it slid off.

“Thanks, she sat down and took the basket back from him, oh I should have mentioned it’s a veggie spaghetti sauce. We didn’t have any hamburger so I couldn’t make meatballs.”

“That’s fine by me, he took the tongs from Celeste, this looks delicious, Celeste watched him twirl some spaghetti onto his fork and eat it, Oh my god, he swallowed his bite, this sauce is the best I ever had. What kind is it?” he grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth.

“Uh it’s mine, I made it earlier and finished it right before you came here.” Celeste took her own bite.

“You made your own sauce?”

“Yeah I don’t really like the store bought sauce it’s always too sweet or too spicy so I would rather make my own.”

“Did you make the bread too?”

“No that’s store bought bread that I put garlic and cheese onto to.”

“Well it’s delicious too.”

Celeste felt her cheeks warm up from all of the compliments,

“Thanks, she stood up, I’m going to get something to drink. Do you want something?”

“Uh sure what do you have?”

“Water, tea, milk, I think there’s beer and wine too.”

“Beer is fine, thanks.” He winked.

Celeste came back with a glass of wine in one hand and a beer in her other. Ian took the beer from her and pointed to the glass in her hand,

“Is that wine, Celeste nodded, I thought you didn’t drink?”

“I drink sometimes but I’m careful about who I drink around.” She sat down and grabbed a piece of bread out of the basket.

“So does this mean you trust me now?” Ian looked up from his plate and smiled at Celeste.

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders,

“It means I’m trying to and wine tastes good with this sauce.” She smirked and took a sip of her wine. Ian nodded and took a sip of his beer,

“Hey I’ll take it, he pointed to the painting on the wall behind Celeste, that’s a really cool painting, is it a blue bird?”

“Uh yeah, feathers are pain in the ass to paint because they’re so detailed.”

“Wait, you painted that, Celeste nodded, is there anything you can’t do?” Ian leaned back in his chair.

Celeste pursed her lips and rubbed the back of her neck,

“Well expressing human emotions is tough for me, she laughed, and I can’t juggle.”

“Looks like we have things in common.” He licked his lips and raised his brows.

“Really that’s kind of surprising since you’re so good at juggling girls.” Celeste sipped her wine and smiled.

He laughed then reached over and to take her glass of wine,

“Okay, I’m cutting you off you’re getting too comfortable, you’re laughing and making jokes, who are you?”

“I don’t know, Celeste batted her eyelashes, but I kind of like her.” She laughed and leaned towards him.

“Yeah, I like her too.” He grinned from ear to ear.

The conversation flowed back and forth, neither one of them talked too much or too little. It felt familiar, like it was just another Sunday dinner for Celeste. Ian told jokes that made her laugh hard enough to snort which he thought was adorable. Once she finished her glass of wine, Celeste stood up to get some more and to take the plates over to the sink,

“Here let me help.” Ian grabbed the plates, the pot of spaghetti and the bread basket.

“Thanks, Celeste grabbed her wine glass, Ian’s empty bottle and followed him into the kitchen, you can put the lid on that and put it in the fridge. I promised my roommate I would save him some food.”

Ian carried the pot over to the fridge and opened it,

“Where is your roommate, I was hoping I could her or him. Do you mind if I have another beer?”

“No it’s fine, Celeste opened the cabinet above the stove and grabbed the aluminum foil, and my roommate is a he, his name Julien and he is probably with his boyfriend doing naked yoga.”

The bottle cap of Ian’s beer flew off and landed on the counter. He laughed and cleared his throat,

“Did you just say naked yoga?”

Celeste poured herself another glass of wine,

“I did, apparently that’s a thing people do.”

“Well if you ever want to try that, Ian smirked and took a sip of his beer, with a partner, I am available.”

Celeste rolled her eyes, picked up the bottle cap and threw it at him. He picked it up off the ground and put it on the counter. Celeste pointed to the doughnuts,

“Should we eat them or wait until later?”

Ian sighed,

“Maybe we should wait a little. I feel like I ate my weight in spaghetti, he patted his stomach, gotta watch my figure.”

Celeste knew from the shirtless selfies that wasn’t true. Ian wasn’t too muscular to the point where it looked like he took steroids or used some unnatural way to get muscles. She completely zoned out and blinked several times to bring herself back,

“Yeah I’m pretty full too, she motioned behind her, you wanna go sit on the couch?”

Sure, he walked towards her, I mean I was kind hoping to see your bedroom.”

Celeste shook her head and gently pushed him towards the living room,

“Not tonight, he turned to face her, or any other night.”

He pouted and sat down on the couch. Celeste sat down next to him and placed her wine glass on the table in front of her. He turned towards her and leaned his arm against the back of the couch,

“So you’re roommate does naked yoga for a hobby, Celeste laughed, what do you do for hobbies?”

Celeste sighed and leaned back against the arm of the couch. There was a sharp pain from having her hair up so she pulled out the pony tail and let her hair down. She ran her fingers through it and shrugged,

“Well you already know that I cook, paint, dance, he smirked, I write, hence the blog.”

“Which is doing great by the way.” He beamed.

Celeste laughed to herself and bit her bottom lip,

“I can’t believe you actually read it, she held her hand up, no offense but you kind of look like someone who reads Playboy and Hustler, and by reads I mean you look at the naked chicks.”

Ian nodded and took a sip of his beer,

“Well I may or may not have a stash of magazines somewhere in my room, he smiled then furrowed his brows, but I actually really like what you guys post, especially you. I feel like when I’m reading what you wrote you’re there reading it to me and calling me an asshole.” He laughed.

Celeste leaned her arm against the back of the couch, her fingertips resting on his,

“I was wrong, you know I might not agree with everything you’ve done but sitting here with you feels nice. I feel like I’m really getting to know you, no bullshit.”

He reached for her hand and ran his thumbs gently against her knuckles,

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way but I can’t believe your single, he laughed nervously, you’re like perfect.”

Celeste pulled her hand away, reached for her glass of wine and drank some of it,

“Thanks but I’m nowhere near perfect, trust me. There are many reasons I’ve never dated anyone but I’m not going to talk about them unless I chug the whole bottle of wine.”

“Wait, Ian shook his head and leaned in, you’ve never been on a date, Celeste shook her head, or had a boyfriend?”

“Nope.” Celeste took another sip and waited for Ian to ask the question. He looked over at her then looked away, then opened his mouth to say something then shut it. Celeste enjoyed watching him struggle to come up with the right way to ask.

“So does that mean you’re a, he paused and winced, I mean you’ve never…”

Celeste sighed and slowly nodded,

“Yes Ian I am a virgin.”

“Really?” his voice went so high it squeaked which made Celeste smile.

“Yup.” She nodded as her cheeks grew warm.

“No way, Ian shook his head, you’re lying.”

Celeste tilted her head to the side and put her hand against her cheek,

“Why would I lie about not having sex, what would I benefit from it?”

“I don’t know but I just can’t believe it, there’s no way someone as attractive as you hasn’t’ had sex.” Ian motioned to Celeste.

Celeste grabbed the pillow behind her and placed it in her lap,

“Well it’s my choice not to and me being attractive or not has nothing to do with it.”

“Okay, Ian nodded, but have you ever been with a girl?”

“No, I’ve never been with anyone.” Celeste shook her head

“Is it like a religious thing or what?”

“Wow, you’re really having a hard time grasping this concept, aren’t you?” she laughed and leaned closer, their knees touching.

“I’m sorry, I’m being a dick. Let’s talk about something else.” He reached back and placed the other pillow in his lap.

“Okay, she leaned her head against her arm, how many girls have you slept with?”

He laughed and shook his head,

“Uh uh a gentleman never tells.”

“So that means you’re at least in the double digits.”

“Double digits? I’m only 23 Celeste , give me some credit, Ian reached for his beer and took a sip then set it back down on the table in front of them, can I ask you one very personal question?”

Celeste took a sip of her wine, she was on her second glass and feeling pretty relaxed. She wasn’t worried about what she might or might not say to Ian. It made her feel a little out of control and she liked it. He gave her the option of saying no but she didn’t want to,

“This is probably one of the only times you can ask me anything so go for it.”

“Well, he cleared his throat, you said you’ve never had sex before but have you done…other things?” Ian fidgeted around and avoided Celeste’s gaze.

Celeste smiled and leaned forward,

“Oh my god Ian Reyes, are you blushing?” Celeste laughed and leaned her chin against her knee. Ian took another sip of his beer and shrugged his shoulders,

“I guess I am, I’m really trying not to come off like an asshole I just can’t believe someone as gorgeous, smart and funny as you has never been with anyone.”

“Well I’m not like you, I don’t have people falling at my feet as soon as I walk into a room.”

“No, but you’ve got one sitting across from you.”

Celeste drank the rest of her wine and set the glass down,

“I’m going to ignore that, Ian smirked, and answer your question from before, no I’ve never done anything, she looked down at her hands, I barely even had my first kiss I mean I wouldn’t count it.”

“That bad huh, Celeste smiled and nodded, I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” Ian teased.

“Okay, we can tell each other in less than five words or phrases, Celeste leaned forward, okay um… school dance, grind line, too much tongue, embarrassingly short and uncomfortable.” She used her fingers to count them.

“Am I allowed to ask questions because I have a few?”

“You can ask three.”

“What do you mean by grind line?”

“A line of girls and guys grinding on each other, it’s like the staple of every middle school dance.”

“That’s what I thought I just wanted to hear you say it, Celeste playfully pushed him, also when you say embarrassingly short, how short are we talking?”

“Let’s just say I looked more like his mother than his date.”

“Wow, I mean your tall so I guess you need a guy that’s about 6’1 or 2.”

“Let me guess, that’s how tall you are?”

“Conveniently, I am, he laughed, alright and how much tongue is too much tongue?”

“Well at 15 any amount was too much. I just hated everything about it, the fact that it was at a school dance, the fact that there were so many people around and I was wearing an uncomfortable dress, it just wasn’t how I pictured my first kiss. Okay, your turn.”

“Okay, um, braces, spin the bottle, unexpected and messy.”

“Okay my first question is who had braces?”

“It was me.”

“Wow I’m trying to picture it but I can’t, Celeste laughed, how old were you?”

“I was 17, I actually got them off like two months after that.”

“Really, at 17 I figured you would have a few notches in your belt already, no offense.”

“Actually, I’ve only had sex with 5 girls, Celeste gasped, hate to burst your bubble but I am not the “fuck boy” you think I am.”

“No you’re not, Celeste laughed then looked over at him, you are a lot more than that.”

“Thanks Celeste, you’re actually nice to talk to when you’re not calling me a steaming pile of shit.”

Celeste laughed and thought about that day and about how two months later that same person she yelled at and completely despised was sitting across from her, making her laugh and feel more comfortable then she ever had with a guy. 

“Well I tend to be nicer to people when there not trying to get me into bed with them constantly.” She reminded him. 

“That’s not what I want from you, Celeste rolled her eyes and Ian smiled, okay that’s not all I want from you. I mean would I love to pick you up right now, take you to your bedroom and hear you moan my name over and over, yeah, Celeste let out a shaky breath, but I could also sit here all night, listen to you talk and be just as happy.”

Celeste wasn’t sure which option would make her happy. The way he looked at her when he said that made her grip the pillow tighter.

“Can I ask you a serious question, he nodded, why me?”

“Because you don’t see yourself the way I do and it’s a damn tragedy, Celeste looked up at him and smiled, and I’m not talking about just your appearance, I’m talking about you. I know you don’t like the attention and I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable by saying this but, I can’t believe no one has ever told you how amazing you are.”

Celeste parted her lips to say something when the front door opened. She sat forward and looked at Julien with wide eyes,

“Julien, what are you doing home?”

He ran over and plopped down in between Celeste and Ian,

“You must be Ian, Julien put his hand out, I’m Julien, the best roommate ever.”

“You mean soon to be ex roommate.” Celeste glared at him.

“Don’t say such hateful things Celeste, it ages you.” Julien bopped her nose.

“Yeah well you need to respect your elders.” Celeste teased.

He took Celeste’s hand and kissed it,

“I respect you, I worship the ground you walk on with your tiny dancer feet, if you’re into that sort of thing. “Julien winked at Ian

“Okay, she pushed him away, go heat up the leftovers and stop talking about feet.

“As you wish, it was nice meeting you Ian.” Julien waved.

“You too Julien.” Ian waved back.

Celeste stood up and grabbed her wine glass,

“You should probably get going, it’s getting late.”

Ian stood up and checked his phone for the first time that whole night,

“Yeah wow it’s almost 11 oclock, I didn’t even realize it.”

Celeste nodded and watched him put on his jean jacket,

“Oh wait, she put her glass down, ran to her room and grabbed his jacket, here I totally forgot to give this back to you. Yesterday didn’t seem like a good time remind you that I had it.”

He took the jacket and leaned up against the counter,

“Yeah about that, I wanted to apologize to you. I was mad about what happened to Stephen and the others but I had no right to take it out on you. It wasn’t your fault it happened so I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too, Celeste blurted out, I shouldn’t have said that night didn’t matter to you because I know how hard you’ve been trying to prove yourself to me and I just want to let you know I appreciate, Ian smiled and motioned over Celeste’s shoulder, what do you want Julien!” she turned and snapped at him.

“I’m just going to grab this, he took the bottle of wine and walked backwards towards his hall, sorry for ruining your moment.”

Ian and Celeste both laughed and looked at each other. 

“So Julien is really something huh?”

“Yeah that’s one word to describe him,he’s not who I thought I would be living with but he’s good to me.”

“I think he likes me.” Ian smiled and puffed out his chest like he was proud.

“Julien likes and gets along with anyone so don’t feel too special, she shrugged her shoulders, also he probably thinks you’re hot.”

“Well at least someone in this apartment does.” Ian stepped closer.

Celeste rolled her eyes and pushed him back,

“You don’t need anyone to tell you that you’re attractive Ian, you know you are.”

“Yeah but it’s still nice to hear, makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, Celeste sighed and shook her head, you really have a problem with people complimenting you, don’t you.”

“No, she looked away, it’s just from my experiences, guys only say nice things when they want something from me.”

“I do want something Celeste, he stepped closer, close enough that Celeste could feel his body heat, I want you.” He looked into her eyes. Celeste stared up at him not sure what to do or say next. She wasn’t aware of anyone or anything else in the room except for Ian. Finally, she blinked and pulled her gaze away from him,

“I think you should go.”

“Okay, he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, thanks for dinner.”

Celeste just stood there and watched him walk over to the door. He looked at her over his shoulder and smiled. Once the door closed Celeste let out a breath she had been holding in and shook her head. She tried to distract herself by cleaning up the stove, washing the dishes, drying them and putting them away but she kept picturing Ian’s face when he said he wanted her. Celeste headed to her room, walked over to her mirror and smiled at herself. Then it hit her,

“Oh shit, she said out loud, I think I like him.”

~~~~~~~~Texts between them~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste Drummer: photo message https://i.pinimg.com/564x/4f/06/6b/4f066b9733f565aa4e9249971a72b281.jpg  
Celeste Drummer: You forgot your doughnuts!  
Ian Reyes: Keep for next time :)  
Celeste Drummer: Next time huh? Already planning our next hang out.  
Ian Reyes: Something like that, Good night Celeste and thanks for inviting me over.  
Celeste Drummer: You're welcome...good night Ian :)


	32. Disappointing Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste snubs Ian in an attempt to distance herself from her feelings for him. Someone intruding on Celeste's space reminds her of someone she once knew.
> 
> (There's mention of sexual assault but not in detail but I figured I would put a warning anyway)
> 
> Coming up in the next chapter or two is the "sleep over" scene which is one of my favorites in all of the Skam universes :)

Ian Reyes: Good Morning Celeste :)

Celeste looked down at her phone and smiled then got scared someone on the bus would see her smiling and ask her why she was smiling then she realized how ridiculous that was and answered Ian’s text.

Hey good morning to you too :)

No, she deleted the message and just sent him a text saying,

Celeste Drummer: Morning

Ian Reyes: How was the rest of your night?

Celeste Drummer: It was fine

Ian Reyes: That’s good, mine was good too. I had a dream about you.

Celeste Drummer: If it involves either you or I being naked, I don’t want to hear it.

Ian Reyes: Relax, you weren’t totally naked :)

Celeste Drummer: This conversation is over now.

Ian Reyes: I’ll see you in class :)

Celeste met Mina and Daisy in the cafeteria before her first class. Mina barely looked up at Celeste as she sat down at the table,

“Hey, Daisy smiled then looked over at Mina, everything okay?”

Mina nodded and placed her cheek against her hand,

“Yeah I’m just tired, Celeste leaned towards her, I swear I’m okay.”

Celeste reached into her bag and pulled out a Tupperware container,

“Maybe a doughnut will help, she pushed the container towards Mina and smiled, or at the very least give you a sugar high.”

Daisy’s eyes lit up,

“Yo, you made doughnuts!”

Mina took a chocolate doughnut out and passed the container to Daisy. Celeste looked around the cafeteria to make sure Ian didn’t sneak in and he wasn’t going to surprise her by coming to their table,

“Uh no, Julien bought them last night and forgot about them so I’m sharing the sugary goodness with you, Celeste smiled and put the lid back on her container, where’s Neh and Erica?”

Daisy took a bite of her doughnut and wiped the crumbs off her shirt,

“Um Neh locked herself in the library to study for her test and Erica is, Daisy looked around, actually I don’t know where she is.”

Celeste looked over at Mina but her attention was directed towards her phone. Celeste pulled her chair closer to Daisy and helped her edit her post for the blog.

“Okay it sounds good, do you want to add a photo here, Celeste pointed to Daisy’s computer, to break up the text a little bit and add a personalized touch.”

“Yeah sure, Daisy clicked on her pictures folder, I think I have a picture of her in my old photos.”

As Daisy scrolled through her photos one of them caught Celeste’s eye,

“What’s that?”

Daisy double clicked a photo of her in the middle, surrounded by a bunch of people at what looked like a luau.

“Oh that was a party luau party we had at school. It actually got pretty crazy because someone spiked the punch bowl and a teacher got super drunk. She confessed her love for the principal who was married and it was just a hot mess, but fun.”

Celeste smiled and leaned in closer,

“It sounds like it, she pointed to someone in the photo, is that Ian?”

Daisy enlarged the photo and laughed,

“Yeah I think it is.”

“He looks so cute, Daisy looked over at Celeste, you in a dorky high school type of way.”

Daisy smiled and nodded,

“Yeah, sure.”

“I’m going to head to class, just pick whatever picture you want and post it, she leaned towards Mina, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll walk with you, see you later Daisy.”

Celeste and Mina walked out of the cafeteria and towards the end of the hall.

“Oh crap, Mallory is heading this way.” Mina moved closer to Celeste.

Mallory walked straight towards them and at the last second she collided into Celeste hard enough to make her stumbled back,

“Watch where you’re going.” Mallory sneered.

Celeste gave her a confused look and watched her walk away.

“What the hell is her problem with me?”

Mina shrugged her shoulders,

“I don’t know, maybe the whole squad should stay away from her.”

“Yeah I guess so, I’ll see you later.”

Celeste got to class before anyone and sat down in her seat. She opened her laptop and messaged the group chat,

Celeste Drummer: I was thinking we should do another sleep over this weekend, I'll make some of my supreme nachos?

Mina Saray: I've already got plans, sorry girl.

Celeste Drummer: Okay that's fine, Neh, Daisy Erica?

Erica Wright: Can't going to my grandmother's for the weekend

Nehemie Cambre: I have to babysit

Daisy Torres: I might be able to but not until later on that night

Celeste Drummer: Okay, all good.

Mina Saray: You could come with me if you want?

Celeste Drummer: I'll think about it, gotta go class is going to start.

People started to come in the room. Celeste overheard someone say something about a reading assignment. Shit that's what i forgot to do. She quickly pulled out her book and opened to the chapter.

"Hey."

Ian came in and sat down next to Celeste. She pretended not to hear him and focused on her book. He reached over and poked her arm. She acted like she didn't realize he was there,

"Hey."

"Are you ignoring me now?"

"No, I'm just trying to finish reading this chapter before class starts." Celeste held up her book

"Okay, oh I wanted to ask you…"

She held her hand up as the teacher walked in,

"We can talk later, okay?"

Ian nodded and leaned back in his chair.

Celeste felt bad for being rude to Ian but she just felt different than she did last night. She felt like she was doing something she shouldn’t by talking to Ian because it didn’t feel like just talking. His stares lingered and Celeste had to fight the urge to look at him for the entire class.

As soon as class was over Celeste turned towards Ian to apologize but his seat was empty.

For lunch Celeste decided to take her food and go sit on a bench by the river. The weather was a bit overcast but there were moments where the sun peeked through. She picked the soggy lettuce off her turkey and cheese sandwich and plopped it on her napkin.

“Hey, she smiled and turned toward the voice, mind if I sit down?”

Her smile fell because it wasn’t Ian, it was Jason, some guy in her art class who couldn’t draw a stick figure to save his life. He must have taken the class thinking it would be an easy A, Celeste thought to herself.

Before she could answer he picked up stuff and placed it in her lap. Celeste scooted to the very edge of the bench. Jason draped his arm across the back of the bench and scooted closer. Celeste looked around but she didn’t see anyone,

“You know I was actually about to leave, she threw her stuff in her bag, because I have class soon.” Celeste stood up but before she could leave Jason grabbed her arm and pulled her back down,

“Why are you leaving I thought we were going to talk?”

Celeste started breathing faster. She looked down at his hand wrapped around her wrist then up at him. When she did she saw a different face,

“Let go of me!” she yelled and pushed him away.

“Hey, Celeste’s gaze snapped over to Ian, keep your hands off of her!”

Celeste stepped in between Ian and Jason,

“It’s okay, I’m fine, she put her hand on his chest, it was nothing.”

Ian glared and watched Jason walk away from them,

“Didn’t look like nothing, he looked down at her and softened his gaze, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, she nodded, I’m fine. Thanks for that.”

“You don’t have to thank me, I hate guys like that. Do you wanna sit down with me and finish the rest of your sandwich?”

Celeste backed up and shook her head,

“No, I don’t really have much of an appetite anymore and I’ve got stuff to do so, she gave him a quick smile, I’m going to go.”

Ian nodded as Celeste walked away with her head down to hide the tears.

 

Mina Saray: Hey, where are you? Class is starting.

Mina Saray: Are you going to be late?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~An hour later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nehemie Cambre: Hellooooo Celeste?

Daisy Torres: Are you still in class?

Mina Saray: Just got out. Did you go home early?

Erica Wright: Are you okay Celeste?

Celeste laid her phone down next to her and rested her chin on her arm. After what happened she didn’t want to show up to class. She didn’t want anyone to ask her why she was upset because there was a good chance she would break down and cry. Celeste picked her head up and wiped her eyes, the third floor of the library was pretty much empty but even there she felt suffocated. The thought of walking to the bus station with people watching her, waiting at the bus station with people around her and being on the bus trapped if someone sat next to her made her feel sick.

Instead of texting the group chat, Celeste sent a message just to Mina,

Celeste Drummer: Hey I’m sorry about earlier. Something happened and I just needed some time to myself. Are you still here?

Mina Saray: Yeah I’m heading out to my car right now. Do you want a ride home and we talk?

Celeste Drummer: That would be great. I’m coming now.

 

Mina didn’t say anything to Celeste until they got in the car,

“Do you want to go somewhere and talk or, Celeste shook her head, this is more of a private conversation.”

“Okay, we can just go back to your place and talk.”

Celeste started to feel better until she thought about what she was going to say to Mina. Was she going to tell Mina everything that happened or only some of it? Out of all of the girls, Celeste connected more with Mina but she was still afraid of judgement. Her phone vibrated in her hand, it was a message from Ian,

Ian Reyes: Hey just wanted to make sure you got home okay.

Celeste Drummer: Yeah I’m okay, Mina is giving me a ride home. I didn’t feel like taking the bus.

Ian Reyes: Yeah I don’t blame you. Glad you’re okay. See you tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Back at the apartment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mina stopped at the McDonald’s drive through on the way to Celeste’s for milkshakes and fries upon Celeste’s request. When they got to her apartment Mina gave Celeste the side eye as she dipped her fries into her milkshake,

“It’s good, Celeste laughed and handed her a fry dripping with milkshake, just trust me.”

Mina took the fry, ate it and nodded,

“Okay it’s not bad but it still sounds weird as hell, Mina laughed then her face got serious, so what happened today?”

Celeste ate another French fry and drew her legs against her chest,

“It was nothing really, I was eating and this guy from my art class came over and sat down next to me even and when I tried to leave he grabbed me.”

“He grabbed you, Celeste nodded, what’s his name because I’m about to make his life hell.”

Celeste shook her head and smiled,

“You don’t have to do that, it really wasn’t a big deal it just surprised me, that’s all.”

Mina shook her head and grabbed a fry from the plate of them on the table,

“No Celeste, it’s not okay. It’s sexual harassment or at the very least harassment. You should have reported him to campus security.”

“It wasn’t harassment though, was it?”

“He put his hands on you without your consent, that’s harassment.”

Celeste thought of all the times she had been touched without her consent and looked over at Mina,

“I know Julien told you about my therapy, Mina nodded, but he didn’t tell you why, Mina shook her head, when I was younger I had a group of guy friends, they were my only friends, and one of the guys had a crush on me but I didn’t like him. At first it was just dumb things, comments about my body and the occasional ass grab or two but as we got older it got worse, Celeste sniffled and started rocking back and forth, I don’t really like to talk about it but today just kind of triggered me.”

Mina reached over and wrapped her arm around Celeste,

“It’s okay, come here, she laid Celeste’s head on her shoulder, I’m glad you told me and I wish I had been there for you when it happened. I totally would have kicked his ass.”

“I know you would have, Celeste looked up at Mina, thanks Mina for listening and not judging me.”

“Of course, I would never judge you for something that wasn’t your fault and anyone who does don’t deserve to have you in their lives. Always remember that.”

“I will.”

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/44/66/19/4466194402a9cb32232fb244ff6b4f0b.jpg  
OhhhStar17: You can't spell friends without fries. Having both is the best :)  
MinaBoBINA: Anytime girl :)


	33. Just Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste puts in some effort when it comes to Ian and their new "friendship". Her teacher presents her with an opportunity and the girls remind Celeste that they're there for her no matter what.

The next day Celeste was in a better mood. She woke up with enough time to actually do her hair and makeup. She pulled her hair back so that it was half up and half down and applied some red lipstick. It wasn’t much of a difference but it made Celeste feel good about herself and she needed a little confidence boost.

Before her first class started she went to the cafeteria. She spotted Ian by the vending machine and walked over to him,

“You know Pop tarts are okay in moderation but you should really eat something else for breakfast.”

He looked at her then looked around the room,

“Oh you’re talking to me today, Celeste rolled her eyes, what if someone walks in and sees us?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“So what, we’re just talking. It’s not like that’s not allowed, right?”

He smiled and looked her up and down,

“Yeah you’re right, Ian bent down to grab his Pop tarts, wanna walk to class together?”

Celeste nodded and walked beside Ian. As they were leaving Mallory walked by and muttered “slut” under her breath. Ian shook his head and laughed,

“Why did Mallory just call you a slut?”

Celeste shook her head and looked over at him,

“It’s a long story but she’s been “accidentally” bumping into me and mumbling things under her breath.”

Ian shook his head,

“You should just ignore her, he leaned in as they waited for the elevator to open, I call her Mallory the maniac.”

Celeste put her hand up to her mouth to suppress her laugh,

“Yeah that sounds about right.”

They both laughed as the elevator doors opened and Erica was arguing with Zara. They both stopped and looked at Celeste.

“I’ll talk to you later.” Erica said to Zara as she walked away.

Zara smiled meekly at Celeste and waked past her. Ian and Celeste got on the elevator and stood next to each other as more people got on,

“That seemed a little…”

“Awkward, Celeste finished his sentence, yeah that’s what I was afraid of.”

“But we’re just talking so it shouldn’t be awkward, right?” Ian asked.

Celeste nodded and looked over at him,

“Yeah we’re just talking… as friends.”

“Yup, we’re just buddies, Ian laughed, amigos, friends with, Celeste looked at him wide eyed, mutual interests.” Ian winked.

Celeste sighed and nudged her shoulder into his,

“You’re an idiot, that’s literally the definition of friends.”

Celeste exited the elevator with Ian trailing behind,

“So as your friend can I tell you how beautiful you look today, Celeste whipped her head around, what it’s just a friendly compliment.”

“Let’s keep the compliments to a bare minimum, okay friend?”

Ian reached for the door and held it open for her,

“Whatever you say.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

After class the teacher asked Celeste to stay after. Ian packed up his stuff and walked up to Celeste,

“I’ll wait for you outside, friend.”

She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Every time Ian said the word friend he said it with the intention of wanting more. Sometimes Celeste heard herself say it in a similar way too. Celeste grabbed her book bag and walked over to the teacher,

“Was there something wrong with my reflection essay?”

Ms. Anderson shook her head,

“No, everything was fine, I wanted to talk to you about an internship in New York. It’s with a magazine company called Her Voice, she handed Celeste a magazine, I know the editor and she’s looking for someone to write for her blog and raise awareness. It’s a really good opportunity, it’s a paid position and they’ll even pay for you to live there. I think it would be great for you.”

“Wow, Celeste looked down at the magazine, it sounds great and thank you for suggesting me but I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Well just think about it, okay. The deadline isn’t for a while and the only thing that’s required is samples of your work and a personal essay which should be easy for you.”

Celeste nodded,

“Okay, I’ll think about it. Thank you Ms. Anderson.”

When Celeste left the room Ian was waiting outside the door for her,

“So I couldn’t tell from your face if it was a good thing or a bad thing.”

“Were you watching through the window?”

Ian shrugged his shoulders and walked with Celeste to the elevator,

“Well as your friend, he smiled, I was curious.”

She pressed the button and handed him the magazine,

“Ms. Anderson recommended me for an internship with that magazine.”

“What, that’s so cool. Congrats!”

Celeste got on the elevator and reached out to push the button and the same time Ian did. She rolled her eyes and took the magazine back from him,

“Yeah it sounds cool but it’s in New York, so I don’t think I can do it.”

“Why do you have a problem with New York?” He said in a terrible accent that made Celeste cringe and some guy in the elevator give Ian a dirty look.

“No, I don’t have a problem with New York, it’s the distance.”

“Can’t stand to be away from me, Ian winked, that’s so sweet.”

“Actually, Celeste stepped to the other side of the elevator, I think distance is good.”

Ian stuck his tongue out and got off the elevator. Celeste followed him and walked down the hall. He turned toward her and pointed in the other direction,

“I’m going to head to the gym before my next class, you can join me if you want.”

Celeste stuck up her nose and shook her head,

“No, thanks I don’t see us being gym buddies.”

“Alright, well congrats on the opportunity and I think you should think about it more before deciding whether or not you want to do it, he leaned in, you never know what might happen.”

Celeste headed to the cafeteria to sit with the girls.

“There she is, Daisy smiled, we were worried about you yesterday.”

“Yeah, Nehemie reached her hand out to Celeste, is everything okay?”

Celeste nodded,

“Yeah I’m sorry about that, something happened yesterday and it made me feel really anxious and I didn’t want you guys to see me that way.”

“Aww girl, Daisy stood up and came over to Celeste to hug her, you don’t have to hide that from us.”

Daisy hugged Celeste tight enough that a few tears ran down her cheek. She pulled away and looked over at Erica,

“I know I just hate when I get like that and I don’t want anyone else to have to deal with it.”

“Yeah but we’re your friends Celeste, we’re here for you so you don’t have to go through things alone.” Erica smiled and put her hand on Celeste’s shoulder.

Celeste looked around at her friends, the ones who won’t judge her or tell her she’s bringing them down or she needs to lighten up and take a joke. They would believe her. They wouldn’t tell Celeste it’s her fault because she invited him into her room or because she chose to stay friends with them. They were her true friends.

“I’m in therapy, everyone looked at her, for multiple reasons. I don’t want to get into all of them right now but I just wanted you guys to know that.”

“I went to therapy after my grandmother died, Daisy spoke up, it’s nothing to be ashamed of and it really helped me.”

“Yeah there’s nothing shameful about getting help if you need it.” Mina said.

“I know I’ve said this before but you guys are the best, Celeste smiled, okay enough sad stuff let’s talk about something else.”

“Oh I know, Daisy said, tomorrow for lunch we should go to the taco hut for dollar tacos!”

“Where’s the taco hut?” Celeste asked.

“It’s about half an hour away, so if we want to go and get back in time for classes we have to leave as soon as our first class is over.”

“I’m down for driving half an hour for tacos.” Mina shrugged.

“Yeah, sounds great, Erica stood up, I gotta go. I’ll see you guys later.”

“Wait, Celeste stood up, I’ll walk you out. I’ve got to go to the bathroom.”

 

“I’m sorry about earlier, Erica said once they were out in the hall, I kind of snubbed you.”

“It’s okay, I thought maybe you were mad because I was talking with Ian.”

Erica shook her head,

“No, I mean you guys were just talking, right?” Erica

“Yeah, Celeste nodded eagerly, we just talk sometimes and hang out.”

“You guys hang out, like outside of the college?”

“Yeah but just the once, anyway my bladder is about to burst so I’ll talk to you later.” Celeste took off towards the bathroom.

 

When Celeste got home Julien was dancing around the apartment in his tight blue underwear while mopping the floor. The smell of lavender smacked her in the face as soon as she opened the door. Celeste sat her bag down and watched him until he turned and realized she was there.

“Hey, how was your day?”

“Fine, she looked at the clock on the stove, how come you’re home?”

He turned down the music and sat the mop in the bucket of soapy water,

“Well the idiot manager had too many people working and since I was the last one to work a double shift, I got to go home.”

“That’s cool so you haven’t said anything about the other night and I feel like you want to because you keep giving me sideways glances, Celeste pointed to Julien , like that so can you just say whatever it is that you want to say?”

Julien grabbed Celeste’s robe, which was really his robe now, and put it on to cover himself up,

“I don’t need to say anything, you are both adults allowed to do whatever you want.”

Celeste nodded,

“Okay yeah you’re right and for the record we aren’t doing anything. I just invited him over as a favor for someone.”

“Kind of like the way you only went out with him to prove you didn’t want to.” Julien teased.

“No, that was different and, Celeste shook her head and pointed to the ground, you missed a spot.” Celeste turned and walked down the hall.

“For the record, I think you two would be adorable together!” Julien yelled.

 

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/06/1e/ef/061eeff18ea3d9eb8ffad39774da90f1.jpg  
OhhhStar17: This picture of @LittleFoot693 was my teachers favorite, it's mine too  
LittleFoot693: Wow! This picture turned out great! Thanks Celeste :)


	34. Girl Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste goes out to lunch with the girls. After class Mallory's anger towards Celeste switches to someone else in the girl group.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Celeste sat in the back seat of Daisy’s car, wedged in between Erica and Mina while Nehemie argued with Daisy in the front seat,

“I’m telling you, Google maps says you should have gotten off at the exit we just passed.” Nehemie shoved her phone in Daisy’s face. Celeste leaned towards Mina and whispered in her ear,

“Maybe you should have driven.”

“I offered but Daisy insisted because she “knew where the hell we were going” but I don’t know, we might be late for class.”

She looked over at Erica who had been quiet so far in the car ride,

“You okay?”

She nodded and sighed,

“Yeah, I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Me either, Julien had Rinaldo over and they decided to have a karaoke night which sounds fun but not when you’re trying to sleep.”

“Yeah I can see that but we should totally have a karaoke night, I can’t sing but I love to try.”

“This is the exit we want, Daisy pointed and turned around to look at everyone, I got this guys don’t worry, she looked at the clock, oh shit we might have to take these tacos to go though.”

Celeste felt her phone vibrate, it was a message from Ian. She leaned back so that Mina and Erica couldn’t see her screen.

Ian Reyes: photo message

Ian Reyes: Being by the river is nice but it’s better when you’re here. Come join me?

Celeste Drummer: I can’t. I’m not on campus. I went out with the girls for lunch.

Ian Reyes: Okay, I guess I’ll just sit here all alone, missing my friend :)

Celeste Drummer: We just saw each other in class.

Ian Reyes: Yeah but you’re different in class. I like river Celeste and Celeste who invites me over for dinner.

Celeste Drummer: Well in class I’m trying to concentrate you know because... it’s class and I need to pay attention.

Ian Reyes: I know Celeste. I’m just messing with you. I like all of you.

Celeste Drummer: Well just got here so I’ll talk to you later.

 

The line at the taco hut was long but it moved pretty quickly. Daisy reached back and handed Celeste, Mina and Erica their bags of food. Celeste looked in the bag then looked over at Erica,

“Did you order beef?”

Erica nodded and looked in her bag,

“Yeah, you ordered chicken, Celeste nodded, then this is yours.”

“Can you feed me a chip with cheese Neh?” Daisy leaned towards Nehemie.

Nehemie took a chip, dipped it in cheese and fed Daisy. Mina looked over at Celeste and laughed,

“Can you feed me one too?” Mina teased leaning forward with her mouth open.

Nehemie smiled, dipped a chip in cheese and wiped the cheese on Mina’s nose. She gasped and grabbed a napkin,

“Okay that was rude.” Mina leaned forward and grabbed her own chip.

“Can someone hand me my drink?” Erica asked.

Celeste leaned forward and picked up two different drinks,

“Uh I think this is your coke or possibly root beer.”

“It doesn’t matter, I like both.” Erica blushed and took the drink from Celeste.

Celeste handed the other drink to Mina,

“I think this is your Iced tea.”

“Good, Mina took it, I need the sugar to wake my ass up.” Mina yawned.

“You didn’t sleep last night either?” Celeste asked.

Mina shook her head,

“No I did I was just out…I mean up late working on homework. Oh speaking on working on stuff I was thinking about my blog post since I haven’t written one yet, Mina took a bite of her taco, what do you think I should write about?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her drink,

“I don’t know I guess it should be about something you know a lot about or an experience in your life. Just write about something you think people can relate to, no matter what it’ll be awesome.”

“Thanks girl, we should really finish these tacos so we’re not bringing them to class. Don’t want to be those people.”

 

After class Celeste hung out with the girls because Mina offered to give her a ride home. In the middle of talking Daisy pulled out a taco from her book bag.

“I thought you ate all of your tacos.” Erica laughed

“No I kept a few as an afternoon snack, Daisy pulled another out of her bag and handed it to Erica, do you want one?”

Erica shook her head,

“No thanks I’m still full from the five I ate like an hour ago.”

Daisy shrugged her shoulders and put it back in her back pack,

“Suit yourself.”

Mina looked down at her phone then over at Celeste,

Um Celeste, why is Mallory commenting slut and whore on all of your Instagram pictures?”

“What, Celeste pulled her phone out of her book bag and saw notifications popping up, I have no clue.”

“Uh, Celeste, Daisy pointed behind her and put down her taco, you might want to get up.”

Celeste turned around and saw Mallory with three other girls heading towards them. She stood up with Daisy, Nehemie, Erica and Mina standing behind her.

“So did you two have sex in the hospital or what?” Mallory shouted.

Celeste shook her head and looked at her friends,

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“I saw you leaving Stephen’s room bitch and you were with him last night too!” Mallory shoved Celeste.

“Oh no you’re about to put hands on my girl.” Daisy started to take her earrings and rings off.

Celeste pushed Daisy and the others back,

“Yeah I saw him in the hospital because I was taking him his homework.”

It seemed like a good enough excuse but Mallory wasn’t buying it.”

“Yeah right and I know it was you he kissed, slut!” Mallory shoved Celeste again but harder this time. Celeste tried to stop Daisy and Nehemie from going after Mallory and her friends. They started pushing and shoving each other, yelling louder and louder.

“It was me, Mina shouted, I kissed Stephen and I met up with him last night.” Mina stepped forward.

Mallory’s rage switched in an instant from Celeste to Mina. Celeste saw it coming and stepped in between them. She held Mallory back and blocked her from Mina while Daisy, Nehemie and Erica kept Mallory’s friends away. Mallory got around Celeste, grabbed a handful of Mina’s hair and smacked her in the face. Celeste grabbed Mallory’s arm before she could hit Mina again, twisted her arm behind her back and lowered her to the ground.

A security guard made their way towards them,

“Hey! Break it up!”

Celeste let go of Mallory and walked over to Mina and the others,

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, she touched her cheek, are you okay?”

Mallory didn’t really hit Celeste, just scratched and swung her arms wildly like an angry Muppet.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

After they explained to the security guard, who was at least 60 years old, the situation he let them all off with a warning and told them if they wanted to fight to do it off of college property.

“Um can we talk about how you turned into ninja, Daisy demonstrated how Celeste grabbed Mallory on Erica, and then wham she was on the ground. Is there something you’re not telling us?”

“You got me, I’m secretly a ninja. Do you want me to show you how to kill someone with one punch?”

“Yes!” Daisy yelled.

Mina laughed and put her arm around Celeste,

“You are crazy white girl and I love you to death.”

“Love you too girl.”

“Uh hey, we were in the fight too.” Erica showed Mina the scratch mark on her arm.

Mina laughed and put her arm around Erica,

“I know and I love all of you, Mina looked away, I’m so embarrassed this happened.”

“You shouldn’t be embarrassed; you’re not the one who started a fight over a guy.” Daisy said as they walked towards the parking lot

“Yeah but I did kiss Stephen even though I knew he had a gf. He got beat up because of me, Mallory’s brother is the one beat him up. He finally told me last night. He knew before but he didn’t want me to blame myself but it doesn’t matter because I still do blame myself.”

“Mina, Nehemie put her hand on Mina’s shoulder, you got drunk and kissed someone yeah it was dumb but Mallory is the one who should feel bad. Her brother put him in the hospital and then she followed you around, that’s psycho.”

They walked in silence until Daisy said,

“I can’t believe he thought it was you Celeste, I mean no offense but Stephen does not seem like your type.”

Everyone laughed except Celeste,

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s not a bad thing, I just think your type is more skinny artist who wears grandpa sweaters and not the athletic jock type or am I wrong?”

Erica looked over at Celeste and tilted her head waiting for Celeste to answer,

“Yeah, Celeste cleared her throat, that’s more my type.”

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/5b/39/11/5b391103ca259b755312c5bbbeeca0c0.jpg  
SweetDaisee99: Actual photo of @OhhhStar17 today putting the smack down on em XD  
OhhhStar17: You really captured my likeness LOL  
MinBoBINA97: NOOOO Girl you are too much


	35. Not Your Fault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian calls Celeste to make sure she's okay. Celeste has an intense therapy session and Mina talks to her about Stephen.
> 
> *The next chapter is going to include the sleepover scene which is one of my favorite scenes in the entire Skam series so I want to make sure I do it justice by spending more time on it :)*

Celeste carried her laundry basket down the hall and to her room. The incense she had burning wafted through the air. She poured her laundry out onto her bed and moved her laptop so she had room to sit down and fold her clothes. The music from her speaker got cut off by her ringtone which was the Goosebumps theme song from last Halloween.

“I gotta change that.” She said to herself as she reached for her phone.

It was a message from Ian,

Ian Reyes: Hey, I heard what happened today with Mallory. Are you okay?

Celeste Drummer: Hey yeah I’m fine. Can you do me a favor and call me. I kind of need my hands right now.

Ian Reyes: Okay sure.

A few seconds later Celeste’s phone ran,

Celeste Drummer: Hey, you might not be able to hear me that good cause your on speaker phone.” Celeste said as she folded a shirt and put it on a pile with her other shirts.

Ian Reyes: No I can hear you fine, can I ask what you needed your hands for?”

Celeste Drummer: What do you think?”

Ian laughed,

Ian Reyes: You don’t wanna know what I’m thinking.”

Celeste Drummer: I’m folding clothes you perv, get your mind out of the gutter.”

He waited for a few seconds then said,

Ian Reyes: Okay it’s out, Celeste rolled her eyes, so what happened today?”

Celeste Drummer: Well Mallory thought for some reason that I was the mystery girl who kissed Stephen in that photo she posted.” Celeste folded her socks and placed them in their own pile.

Ian Reyes: What, why would she think that?” Ian laughed.

Celeste Drummer: I have no clue but once she figured out it wasn’t me she went after, Celeste stopped because she wasn’t sure if Ian knew it was Mina, someone else and a fight kind of broke out.”

Ian Reyes: Celeste, it’s okay. I know it’s Mina.”

Celeste Drummer: Really, did Stephen tell you?”

Ian Reyes: Yeah they’ve been into each other for a while, I mean it’s kind of obvious, Celeste stopped folding her clothes and stayed silent long enough for Ian to say, hey Celeste are you still there?”

Celeste Drummer: Yeah sorry, I dropped a sock and had to bend over to pick it up, how is it obvious?”

Ian Reyes: Well I mean I can’t say the same for Mina but Stephen is always smiling at his phone, Celeste thought about the smile she got on her face when she saw Ian messaged her, he’s always looking at her or for her, Celeste thought about how she searched for Ian around campus, and he’s been meeting up with her in secret. They’re crazy for each other.”

Celeste Drummer:“Yeah, hey I gotta go throw another load of wash in and finish up my assignment. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Ian Reyes: Okay, I’ll see you…”

Celeste ended the call, laid back against her bed and took a deep breath in and blew it out of her mouth. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Therapy the next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Is everything okay Celeste?”

Celeste blinked a few times and looked over at Teresa,

“Yeah, Celeste lowered her head, no…I don’t know.”

“Well just tell me what’s on your mind.”

When Teresa said that it reminded Celeste of when Ian asked what was on her mind. She sighed and flopped back against the chair,

“I think I have feelings for Ian but I don’t want to.”

“Okay, any particular reason why you want to reject these feelings.”

“Because he’s Ian and he’s nowhere near my type. It’s just weird and it makes no sense to me.”

Teresa nodded and leaned forward,

“When you spend time with Ian how does it make you feel, are you nervous or worried about what he might say or do, Celeste shook her head, are you worried about what you might say or do?”

“No, I feel…normal.”

“Normal compared to what?”

“Compared to, Celeste took a deep breath and crossed her arms over her chest, someone who is…broken.”

“Is that how you see yourself, Celeste nodded, do you think maybe your trying to reject these feelings you have for Ian because you’re scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“Scared to forgive yourself and allow yourself to have these feelings because deep down you know you’re not broken and what happened wasn’t your fault.”

Celeste looked over at the clock and contemplated staying silent for the next 40 minutes. She sniffled and looked away,

“I let him in.” she mumbled under her breath.

“It’s still not your fault, Celeste met her gaze with teary eyes, just because you let Ian into your life doesn’t mean he’ll betray your trust and I think that’s the real reason you’re scared.”

Celeste laughed and leaned back,

“I just don’t get it, she threw her hands up, I don’t understand how he can like me or my friends or anyone. I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve any of it!”

“Has anyone ever told you that you don’t deserve those things, Celeste shook her head, so why do you think that?”

“I don’t know, isn’t it your job to tell me?”

Teresa smiled and shook her head,

“No Celeste that is not my job and there is nothing wrong with you but I think in order to find out why you think that you need to consider talking about what happened, instead of talking around it. Just think about it, okay?”

Celeste nodded and stood up,

“Okay, I will. I’ll let set up an appointment later.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later on~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Mina Saray: Hey girl, how are you doing?

Celeste Drummer: I’m doing okay. I just got back from therapy and it was a tough session.

Mina Saray: I’m sorry; I’m here if you want to talk about it.

Celeste Drummer: Thanks but I think it’s just stuff that I need to think about for a while before I talk about it. How are you doing? Have you talked to Stephen?

Mina Saray: I’m doing better, still feel embarrassed though. I talked to him a little bit today and he said he’s coming back tomorrow so hopefully we can talk some more cause I need to where we stand. It’s driving me nuts.”

Celeste Drummer: Yeah I can see how that could be frustrating. So what do you want to happen between the two of you?

Mina Saray: I don't know. I mean Malcolm and I were together for a year and a half and before that I had another boyfriend for a year and before that I was dating some guy for a couple months. It's just been a lot, a part of me wants to stay single for a while but then the other part of me doesn't want to miss my chance to be with Stephen. I know you don't know him that well but he is a really good guy Celeste and when we're together it just feels right.

Celeste Drummer: Yeah from what I've heard, he's a good guy but aren't you scared of getting hurt again, especially so soon after Malcolm?

Mina Saray: Of course I am but to be honest, my relationship with Malcolm was never a hundred percent. You know the entire time we were dating he never introduced me to his family. This one time I was there when his mom came home and he said I was his tutor because he didn't want them to know he was dating a black girl.

Celeste Drummer: Wow that's insane and absolutely terrible. I'm sorry that happened.

Mina Saray: It's okay, i mean my dad didn't approve of him either but I visited Stephen at his house the day after he got out of the hospital and his mom was so sweet. Stephen told her I was his friend and she insisted I stay for dinner and his little brother was there. It was great and it felt normal, like I belonged there.

Celeste Drummer: Aww that's so sweet Mina and not that it needs to be said but you are a huge upgrade from Mallory. Are you worried about what she might say or do if you two get together?

Mina Saray: Ummmm yeah lol but she's going to hate me either way. I can't worry about what she might think or anyone else cause it's not about them. I like Stephen, I really do and we have a good time together. I guess we both need to decide if it's going to be as friends or more.

Celeste Drummer: Yeah and whatever you decide I will support you and go kung fu on anyone who messes with you lol.

Mina Saray: Lol thanks, I might have to hire you as my body guard.

Celeste Drummer: You can pay me in iced coffees.

Mina Saray: Deal! Well I’m going to go help my dad with dinner, I’ll see you tomorrow <3

Celeste Drummer: Okay girl, see you tomorrow :)

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/6f/01/13/6f01134f4277447297638a23400f8c47.jpg  
MinaBoBINA97: @OhhhStar17 I’m stealing your aesthetic girl :)  
OhhhStar17: Take it! have it! It's yours! :)


	36. I Ship Cian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste is running late the next day so Ian offers to give her a ride and wants to ask her a question. Celeste avoids Ian's question and finds out he may know her better than she knows herself.

The next day the weather was gloomy. Celeste laid in bed for an extra five minutes and contemplated whether or not she wanted to get up. Her bladder got the better of her so she got up and went to the bathroom. Celeste was about to walk back to her room but she heard noises coming from the kitchen. It was way too early for Julien to be awake.

From behind it looked like Julien because he was wearing her purple fluffy robe but his hair was too dark. Rinaldo turned and jumped back,

“Celeste, you scared me the hell out of me, he said with a coffee cup in his hand, you’re so light on your feet, I didn’t hear you.”

“Yeah my mom used to say that too.” She said without even thinking.

“Oh, did she pass?” Rinaldo lowered his voice.

She shook her head,

“No she’s still alive, her birthday is actually tomorrow.”

“Oh, how nice, Rinaldo poured her some coffee, are you going to visit her?”

Celeste turned her back to add creamer and shook her head,

“No, I might call her though sometime tomorrow.” She took a sip and turned to face him.

“I get the sense you don’t have a great relationship with your mom.”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders and scratched her head,

“Uhh it’s kind of complicated.”

“I completely understand, my mom was the last person I came out to. We’ve had a troubled relationship but in time she started to understand. At first though, we didn’t talk for a long time.” He said leaning up against the counter next to Celeste.

“Didn’t that bother you, not talking to your mom?” Celeste took a sip of her coffee and ignored that it was still too hot to drink.

"Every day, Rinaldo sighed and brushed his hair back with his hand, but she wasn't ready to understand and I needed time too because instead communicating with me she just completely shut down."

Celeste thought about her mother and how she shut down. Even though it wasn’t her mother’s fault Celeste was angry with her when it happened. Before her mother’s health took a turn, Celeste and her mother talked all the time about everything and no matter how busy she got with work, she always took the time to make sure Celeste was okay. Not having that in her life and having to be that person for her mother at such a young age was harder on her than she’s admitted.

"How did you get her to communicate with you?" Celeste asked looking up from her coffee cup.

"Well I realized that even though she doesn't always communicate with her words, she communicates with her actions. She's a very nonverbal communicator and I'm the opposite. I like to talk, if you can’t tell, Celeste smiled to herself, but I just had to learn that not everyone thinks the way I do."

“You know I used to be like you, I was a big talker then something happened and I, Celeste looked up at the ceiling and sighed, I guess I lost my voice."

"Well just because it's lost doesn't mean it's gone. You'll find it again Celeste, Rinaldo put his arm around her and gently squeezed her shoulder, I believe in you."

"Thanks Rinaldo, I'm glad you swiped right on Julien." She smiled and looked over at him.

"I am too, he went to walk away then stopped and turned, oh by the way I'm sorry about our karaoke session the other night. Once Julien starts it's hard to get him to stop."

"Oh trust me, I know.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Running to the bus~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh come on, you couldn’t wait like one more minute!” Celeste shouted out of breath as she watched the bus speed away. She sat down on the bench with her umbrella and got out her phone. She texted a picture of herself to Ian with a message that said,

Celeste Drummer: Hey, can you tell the teacher I’m going to be a little bit late. I missed the bus.”

Ian Reyes: I’m running late too, do you want me to come pick you up?

Celeste looked up at the sky, she didn’t really feel like waiting another 20 minutes for the next bus to come by.

Celeste Drummer: Okay, I’m on the corner of Noah and 4th St.

Ian Reyes: Okay I’ll be there in about ten minutes.

It was more than 10 minutes later when Ian’s car pulled up. Celeste got up, ran across the street and put her umbrella down before getting into Ian’s car. He turned to her with his hair slightly damp and curling up at the ends,

“Hey, sorry I didn’t get here sooner I got held up at home.” He said sounding annoyed.

Celeste put her umbrella into a plastic bag, wrapped it up and sat it at her feet. She put on her seat belt placed her book bag on her lap.

“It’s fine, she took the hair tie around her wrist and pulled her hair back into a pony tail, is everything okay?”

Ian nodded and shifted in his seat,

“Yeah it’s nothing, just my parents ragging on me, he smiled and looked her up and down, so how come you’re running late?”

“I don’t know I guess I’m just feeling kinda blehh and sluggish today. It’s probably the weather.”

“Well if it makes you feel better you can talk to me or we can just go back to your place, spend the day wrapped in blankets and eat doughnuts.”

“You have no idea how tempting that is but I can’t skip classes today. I’m meeting with my art teacher to see what I got for my midterm grade.”

“Is that for the photos you posted of Mina and the girls?”

"Yeah, except the ones I used for my portfolio were faceless portraits."

"That's really cool; when you get it back can I see them?"

"Sure." Celeste said quietly as she studied Ian with quick glances.

She noticed the crinkle at the corner of his eyes when he smiled at her. The way his lips pursed together slightly like he was trying not laugh. Celeste realized the reason he was trying not laugh was because he caught her staring at him.

"See anything you like." He kept his eyes on the road and smirked.

Celeste shook her head and scoffed,

"I wasn't looking at you."

Ian smiled and stayed quiet until they got to the college,

"Can I ask you something?"

Celeste didn't like the serious tone in his voice or how he angled his body towards her.

Oh no, he's going to ask me out again or why I'm still a virgin or if I like him or why my eye is suddenly twitching, Celeste thought to herself and leaned away from Ian.

"Can it wait, Celeste took off her seat belt and grabbed her stuff, we're already five minutes late for class." She said with her hand on the handle ready to bolt from Ian's car.

She pleaded with him with her eyes, hoping he wouldn't push the question any further, not today and not yet. He nodded and relief washed over her.

"It's okay, I'll wait."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste felt Ian looking at her during class but she didn't want to give him the chance to ask his question again. Before the teacher even finished talking she had her stuff packed up and ready to go.

"Hey do you..."

Celeste stopped him before he could go any further,

"I have to go meet up with..."

"Right I forgot, I'll just talk to you later."

He sounded sad enough that Celeste gave him a quick one armed hug and backed away,

"See ya." She mumbled and ran out of the room leaving Ian with a dumbfounded look

Oh my god what am I doing, Celeste thought to herself, you can't like Ian he's, her thought trailed off because the only things that came to her mind when she thought about him were good things.

Then she thought about what he did to Erica and how upset she was. It still bothered Celeste how he treated her and probably a bunch of other girls too but, he hasn't bothered Erica and he did apologize to her. The angel and devil on her shoulder compared the good versus the bad things Ian did as she walked into the art room and came face to face with Jason.

"Hey Celeste I wanted to apologize for the other day. I didn't mean to come on so strong. I'm sorry I grabbed you." He sheepishly looked away.

"Uhh it's okay." Celeste said dumbfounded by his timid nature.

"Oh by the way, I really liked your painting, he looked away and took a step back, see ya."  
The teacher was still with another student so she pulled out her cellphone and texted Ian

Celeste Drummer: Hey i just talked to Jason and he practically crapped himself when he saw me, what did you do?

Ian Reyes: I didn't do anything. He must have realized it would be a good idea if he stayed away from you.

Celeste Drummer: Right...and did you have anything to do with this realization?

Ian Reyes: Mayyyyyybe

Ian Reyes: Are you mad?

Ian Reyes: Celeste???

Ian Reyes: All I did was scare him off

Celeste muted Ian's messages and walked over to her teacher.

After meeting with her teacher Celeste met up with the girls in the cafeteria. She laid her portfolio down and smiled,

“I got an A.”

Mina clapped her hands and reached across the table,

“Yes that’s my girl, let me see them!”

The rest of the girl crowded around Mina to look at Celeste’s pictures. Daisy point to her photo,

“That is like my favorite picture of me ever, can you send me a copy of this one?”

Celeste nodded,

“I’ll send everyone their pictures in case you wanna post on Insta or wherever.”

“I’m definitely hiring you for my wedding photos.” Erica said as she flipped to her photo.

“Wedding photos, Nehemie laughed, do you got a secret boo that we don’t know about or something?”

Erica laughed a little too loud and playfully shoved Nehemie. Nehemie arched her brow and looked over at Erica. She opened her mouth to say something but then stopped and looked over Celeste’s shoulder,

“Hey, Celeste jumped at the sound of Ian’s voice, can we talk?”

She looked around the table, her eyes lingered on Erica because she couldn’t tell if she was angry or not. Celeste turned and looked up at Ian,

“If it’s about class, it can wait until later.”

“It’s not about class, she glared at him, should I just start talking now or…”

Celeste jumped up and dragged him out of the cafeteria,

“What the hell was that?”

He shrugged his shoulders and put his hands in his pockets,

“I’m sorry but you weren’t answering my texts, Celeste crossed her arms over her chest, are you really that mad at me for scaring off Jason.”

“Yes, Celeste yelled then lowered her voice, I didn’t ask for you to do anything to Jason.”

“I’m sorry, I was just worried about you.”

“You don’t need to worry about me, okay. It’s not your job to worry about me, Celeste gestured with hands and tried to control the volume of her voice, you need to stop acting like my boyfriend because you’re not and trust me you don’t want to be.”

Ian sighed and shook his head,

“So what do you want me to do, apologize for caring about you, because I won’t and that’s why you’re really mad, he stepped closer and stared her down, isn’t it, Celeste looked away from him, you’re mad because someone got through the wall you put up around yourself and now you don’t know what to do.”

“You haven’t gotten through shit, Celeste clenched her jaw, just because we have one heart to heart talk doesn’t mean you know me.”

“You keep telling yourself that Celeste.” he took a step back and walked away.

Celeste squeezed her eyes shut. A few tears escaped and rolled down her cheek. She angrily wiped them away and went back to the cafeteria.

 

Later on Mina called Celeste, even though in front of everyone else she made it seem like nothing happened, Mina knew something was going on.

“Hey so I know you didn’t want to talk about it earlier with everyone there but, is everything okay?”

“Yeah it’s just, Celeste sighed, the day that guy grabbed me, Ian kind of saw it and came over to help me but apparently he talked to the guy again and scared him off.”

“How did Ian scare him off?”

“I don’t know, he said he just talked to him but I ran into Jason today and he could barely look at me. When I asked Ian if he did something and he said yes it just pissed me off so I stopped answering his messages and that’s why he came to the cafeteria.”

“Is there something going on between you two?”

“Not really, we hung out once or twice and we talk but, Celeste laughed, I mean it’s Ian, come ‘on.”

“Yeah but, I don’t know…”

“What?”

“I don’t know I mean I can kind of picture it, you two have always had a thing between you. It may have started off as more of a hatred on your end but you know what they say, opposites attract.”

“Well they need to take in consideration that he is a self-centered asshole who plays with people’s emotions and I’m a 23 year old virgin with intimacy issues on top of a crap ton more issues.”

“I’m not trying to defend him but you have to admit, he’s changed a lot and you are so much more than that Celeste Annabelle Drummer and don’t you forget it!”

“Damn, did you just use my full name?”

“Yes I did, she laughed, so I’m guessing you don’t want to come with me to Ian’s party.”

“That would be a no, besides the 17th is my mom’s birthday.”

“Oh you’re mom’s birthday is today?”

“No, it’s tomorrow, the 17th.”

“Celeste today is the 17th.”  
"What, no it's, looked at the calendar on her computer, oh shit, Celeste looked over at her clock, I should have called her. I should have looked at my damn calendar!”

“Hey, it’s okay. You can just call her tomorrow and tell her you forgot, I’m sure she won’t care.”

Mina was right, her mother wouldn’t care. She probably didn’t even know it was her own birthday. Her mother had no choice in forgetting but Celeste did. Celeste swallowed the lump in her throat and looked up at the ceiling,

“Yeah your right, her voice cracked, hey I’m going to go. I’ll talk to you later okay?”

“Okay, I’ll talk to you later.”

Celeste ran out of her room and into the kitchen to check the messages. The first two were telemarketers but the last one was Molly.

“Hey Celeste it’s Molly. I was just calling you to remind you that it’s your mother’s birthday. She hasn’t been having a good day so when you get this message maybe give her a call to cheer her up. Okay good bye.”

The next day Celeste stayed in bed until Julien came in for the 4th time and refused to leave. He pulled the cover off of her and sat down on the edge of her bed,

“Come’on sleepy head, it’s going on 2 o’clock and you need to get up.”

Celeste tried to grab the cover back from Julien but he tossed it over his shoulder and onto her floor. She grabbed her pillow and smacked him with it. He took that from her too.

“Julien, she picked some lint off her long sleeve shirt with the words good vibes written on it and rolled it between her fingers, do you think I’m a bad person.”

“Yes, you’re terrible, he cracked a smile and smacked her with the pillow, what kind of question is that Celeste, of course you’re not a bad person. You are the most compassionate, patient and least selfish person I have ever met.”

Celeste lowered her head and stared down at her hands,

“I forgot my mom’s birthday, she looked up at him, which doesn’t really matter because she doesn’t know when her birthday is or who I am or what liked to eat when I was kid or what the name of my favorite stuffed animal was that she gave to me for Easter when I was 3, Celeste took a breath that turned into a sob, and none of it matters anymore because she’s just gone and I think I purposely forgot because I’m mad that she forgot about me!”

Julien wrapped his arms around Celeste and rubbed his hands up and down her back,

“It’s okay babe just let it out.”

After about twenty minutes of full on sobbing and apologizing over and over for getting tears and snot on Julien’s shirt they went into living room and watched T.V.

“That make up is unreal, drag queens are true artists I mean the hair the makeup and the outfit they need to put that in a museum.”

Celeste nodded and scrolled through her Instagram. She clicked on Mina’s story and loud party music blasted through her phone. Julien glared and looked over at Celeste,

“Sorry, I’ll turn it down.”

Julien leaned over to look at her phone,

“Well someone is having fun, who’s that guy with Mina, he’s hot.”

“That’s Stephen, he’s Ian’s friend.”

“So how come you’re new friend didn’t invite you?”

Celeste sighed and leaned back against the couch,

“Probably because every time he tried to talk to me today I stopped him and we got into a fight on Friday but it’s nothing, Julien leaned in and looked at Celeste, what?”

“Nothing, I’m just going to stare at you until you tell me what’s actually wrong.”

Celeste rolled her eyes,

“I hate to break it to you JuJu but you’re not that intimidating.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Julien leaned in, Celeste did the same. Julien raised his brows and Celeste smirked. Julien laughed and nodded,

“So have you told Ian you like him yet?”

Celeste’s eyes widened and Julien clapped his hands together,

“HA, I knew it, you like a boyyyyyy.” Julien took Celeste’s hands and swung them back and forth.

She pulled her hands away,

“No I don’t, she shook her head, or maybe I do…I don’t know I’m so confused.”

“What’s confusing about it babe, you’ve got a crush plain and simple.”

“No, it’s not plain and simple it’s the opposite of plain and simple, it’s a cluster fuck of fuckery.”

“Woah, Julien put his hand on her shoulder, calm down sweetie okay, just take a breath.”

“I don’t want to have a crush. A crush implies that a person or persons will get hurt and I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“I know you don’t but unfortunately , it’s a double ended dildo and in the end someone is going to get fucked.”

“That is so messed up but it’s kind of true, Celeste shook her head, no I can’t do it, what about Erica, she’ll be devastated and Ian is Ian and I’m…me, it’ll never work.

“Erica is a big girl, she can handle it besides lying to her and yourself, is way worse and who cares if you’re not as…experienced as Ian, Julien leaned forward, let him be your teacher. I bet he’s into that shit.”

“Julien, Celeste snapped her fingers in front of his face, I need you to focus.”

“Right sorry, he’s just so, she rolled her eyes, right fantasize later advice now. Listen Celeste I have been your roommate for a while now and you have come such a long way but you need to stop taking care of everyone and let someone take care of you for a change. I know the idea of that scares the shit out of you because of whatever happened in your past but, not every guy only wants one thing from you. Some guys want the whole kit and caboodle and I think Ian is one of those guys, he grabbed her hands, listen forget about what everyone else wants or feels, what do you feel, what do you want Celeste.”

“I don’t really know, I just know what I don’t want and I don’t want to hurt my friends or Ian but I also don’t want to end up alone with 34 cats who will one day eat my decaying body until some unfortunate mail person discovers my half eaten corpse.” She said one breath

“You artists are so dramatic; he kissed her forehead and grabbed the remote, just think about what I said because I totally ship Cian.”

“Cian?”

“Yeah, that’s your ship name, Celeste and Ian put together is Cian.”

“You’re fantasizing about our fake relationship but I’m the one who is dramatic.”

Julien laughed and threw his head back,

“My point is, I think you should go to the party and tell Ian what’s actually on your mind.”

Celeste avoided what Julien said and looked at the time on her phone,

“Wait, aren’t you going out Rinaldo?”

“We were supposed to but I can stay it’s not a problem.”

Celeste grabbed his hands and shook her head,

“I really appreciate JuJu but no, go out with Rinaldo and tell him I said hi.”

“Are you sure, she nodded, okay, I’m going to go change my shirt.” He laughed and kissed the top of her head.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/f2/5c/ba/f25cba6e707ad49b356dfbaeda11b267.jpg  
OhhhStar17: My Saturday night looks different than yours


	37. Got Snails?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste decides to go to Ian's party once she realizes something happened with him and Erica. Instead of Ian giving her a ride home, Celeste decides to lie and sleepover at his house.
> 
> *Hey so what do people think of Stephen and Mina as a couple? Also what do you think is going on with Erica and Zara. I know it's been a lot of back and forth between Ian and Celeste but I promise she will be making her decision very soon. I just think given her situation, there needs to be more hesitation on her end. Also everyone should go listen to the song!! Thanks for reading :)*

Celeste was in the bathroom washing the paint off her hands when she heard the house phone ring. She quickly dried off her hands sand ran to the kitchen to grab the phone. It said Unknown Name but she recognized the area code so she answered it,

“Hello?”

“Celeste?! Where are you sweetie?! When are you coming home?!”

Immediately tears formed in her eyes from the panic in her mother's voice. Celeste didn’t have an answer for her mother or one that she would understand. She took a deep breath to try and stop herself from full on sobbing but it didn’t help,

“Mom, I’m sorry.”

“Where are you Celeste?! You should be at home, it’s getting late!”

Celeste wanted to be happy that her mother remembered her at all but she couldn’t bring herself to tell her mother she wouldn’t be home any time soon.

“I know Mom, I’m sorry. I’ll be home soon.”

“Do you promise?”

Celeste bit down on her lip and blinked the tears away,

“I promise Mom, she paused to clear her throat, I love you.”

“I love you too sweetie please be quiet when you come in, okay?”

“Okay, bye Mom.”

“Bye sweetie.”

Celeste threw the phone down hard enough for the battery to fly out. She walked down the hall to her room, slammed the door and plopped down onto her bed face first. Celeste grabbed her pillow and screamed into it as loud as she could. The longer she laid there the worse she felt. She felt like she deserved to feel terrible, not only did she forget her mother’s birthday but she also lied to her. Her phone vibrated against the dresser next to her bed,

She looked over at her phone and saw that Mina was calling her. Even though Celeste didn’t feel like talking to anyone she answered it anyway,

“Hello.” Celeste sighed.

“Hey girl, how are you?!”

Celeste moved the phone away from her ear and put Mina on speaker phone which didn’t really help.

“Not great, what are you up to?”

“Ian’s…so cool…come here... Erica.”

Celeste sat up when she heard Erica’s name,

“Wait, Erica’s at Ian’s too?”

“Yeah but Erica…upset…she left.

”Why was Erica upset?”

“She….crying….Ian.”

“What happened between her and Ian, the call got dropped, hello? Mina!”

Celeste groaned, hung up the phone and went to her Uber app. Before she left the house she changed into a pair of jeans and a black off the shoulder sweater. As she put on her white tennis shoes, her phone went off, her Uber was there. She grabbed her long army green rain jacket off the back of her chair which was still slightly damp and left her room.

Luckily for her Mina Geo-tagged her location in her post on Insta so Celeste had Ian’s address to give to the Uber driver. As soon as she got out of the car she could hear the bass from the music. His closest neighbor wasn’t right next to his house but they were close enough where Celeste could see them complaining about the noise. She walked past some guy puking in a bush while his friend laughed and said,

“I told you not to drink the homemade stuff bro.”

Celeste kept walking until she reached the backyard where several people were swimming in Ian’s pool. Someone cannon balled into the pool, spraying water at people who were in the splash zone. She pushed her way pass people and looked around for anyone she recognized. 

“Celeste, she turned towards the voice as Mina ran up to Celeste and threw her arms around her, what are you doing here??!” she screamed in Celeste’s ear.

“You said Erica was crying, what happened?” Celeste put her hand on Mina’s shoulder and leaned in close.

“She left a while ago girl. She was drunk and she went to go find Ian then she came over to me crying and said she was going to leave.”

Celeste pulled Mina to the side, away from the people and the loud music,

“Did she say why? Who did she leave with?” Celeste said to Mina but kept an eye out for Ian.

“No she just left with that girl, her name begins with a Z.”

“Zara?”

“Yeah her, Mina nodded excitedly then grabbed onto the arm of Celeste’s jacket, hey, can I wear you’re jacket? I’m freezing.” Mina shivered in her hot pink body con dress that barely covered her ass.

Celeste took off her jacket and put it around Mina,

“Sure, she looked up at Stephen who walked over to them, have you seen Ian?”

He nodded and pointed to the house,

“Yeah, he just went upstairs for something.”

She nodded and left Mina with Stephen, the two of them just stood there smiling at each other.

Celeste took a minute to watch them. She felt happy for them, especially Mina who deserved a nice guy like Stephen, someone who wasn’t ashamed of her. They already looked like a couple. It looked so easy and normal. Celeste looked away and made her way into the house. She walked through a sea of couples. Some were kissing, others were arguing and they all made it look simple.

Focus, she told herself, you need to find out what Ian did or said to make Erica cry. She walked up the stairs, down the hall and spotted Ian coming out of a room,

“Ian, she shouted and walked up to him, what the hell did you say to Erica?!”

Ian shook his head and took a step back,

“Whoa, back up, what are you talking about?”

“She left here in tears Ian, what did you say to her?!” Celeste balled up her fists.

“Nothing, she tried to kiss me, I told her it was a bad idea because she was drunk, she got upset and left. That’s it.”

“You didn’t say anything to her about me?” Celeste relaxed and took a deep breath.

“No, you told me not to and there’s nothing going on between us so there’s nothing to tell her, right?

How does he manage to make jeans and black t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up look that good, Celeste thought to herself. She smiled and nodded,

“Right, there’s nothing to tell her.”

“Okay, he put his hand on her shoulder and smiled, enjoy the party Celeste.” He winked.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later on~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste sat outside on bench next to Mina and Stephen who were busy kissing and groping each other. She wasn’t paying any attention to them though. Ian stood less ten feet away, talking and laughing with some girl. Every once in a while he glanced over at Celeste and she would look away in disgust. His lips curved into a slight smile and he winked. She glared at him and stood up,

“I’m going to go to the bathroom.”

Mina pulled herself away from Stephen and yelled,

“Okay, do you want me to come with you?”

Celeste shook her head, looked over at Ian and said,

“No I need a minute alone to think.”

Celeste pushed her way back into the house and went upstairs. She could feel the bass of the music as she walked down the hall. The first door Celeste opened was a bedroom that belonged to a parent. She needed a place to cry but it felt wrong to do it in Ian’s parents’ bedroom. Celeste opened another door and saw a threesome currently in progress.

“Sorry!” she yelled and quickly closed the door.

A girl came stumbling out of the bathroom. Celeste quickly ran in, shut the door and locked it.

She didn’t know how long she stayed in the bathroom but eventually someone knocked on the door. She picked her head up from her lap,

“It’s occupied so go take a piss outside!” she yelled and put her head back down.

“Celeste?”

She got off the floor, walked over to the mirror, wiped her eyes and went over to open the door,

“Hey.” She said with her voice sounding croaky.

“Hey, are you okay?” Ian asked.

“I’m fine, she sniffled and wiped her eyes, I think I’m getting a cold or something. Have you seen Mina?” Celeste closed the door and walked with Ian down the hall.

“She probably left, I just sent everyone home because someone complained to the cops about the noise.”

“Shit she has my jacket with all my stuff in it, Celeste ran down the stairs as people filed out of Ian’s house, Mina!” she yelled and searched for her.

Celeste ran to the backyard but it was empty except for the girl straddling Garret in an inflatable flamingo. Ian walked up next to Celeste and smiled every time the flamingo made a squeaking sound. Celeste looked over at Ian and busted out laughing. Garret turned around and smiled at them,

“There’s room for another.”

Ian shook his head and pointed to the door,

“Time to go dude, party is over.”

Garret and flamingo girl struggled to get up which made Celeste laugh even harder. Ian waved to them as they walked past. Celeste walked over to the half deflated flamingo and lightly kicked it,

“Poor George, you shouldn’t have had to witness that.”

“George?” Ian arched his eye brow.

She shrugged her shoulders,

“Yeah, he reminds me of a George.”

Ian laughed and walked over to her,

“You know I can give you a ride home and you can get your stuff later from Mina.”

“Sure but Julien’s not at home right now, she shrugged her shoulders, it’s fine I can just wait for him outside I guess.”

“Celeste its 1 am, I’m not going to let you stand outside and wait for him. How about you give him a call, we’ll wait till he gets back and I’ll take you home.”

“Okay, she walked back into the house with him and looked around, this is a nice house. Where are your parents?”

“They’re on vacation, thank god.”

“Let me guess, at their other house.”

“Yeah, one of them.” 

Ian stood there staring at Celeste as she looked around the room and avoided his gaze, finally she gave in,

“What?”

He walked over to her and held out his hand,

“Come here, I wanna show you something.”

Celeste shook her head,

“I’m fine right here.”

“Celeste, she looked up at him, just trust me.”

She took his hand and let him take her upstairs

“Fine but just so you know, I took karate and several self-defense classes.”

He smiled at her over his shoulder and lead Celeste to his bedroom. He turned on the light and walked over to the other side of the room.

There was a tank sitting on a table. He motioned for her to walk over,

“Celeste, meet Flowers, Chico, Jackie Chan and Bubbles.”

Celeste looked inside, there were four snails, two stuck to the glass and two others on a piece of wood in the middle of the tank. Ian opened the lid, pulled out a piece of lettuce that only had a few bites taken out of it and put something else in.

“This is why you invited me to your room, to show me your snails?”

“Yeah, why were you expecting something else?”

Celeste ignored his question and walked over to the corner of his room. She picked up the guitar and sat down across from him

“Do you actually play or is it just a lure?”

“A lure?” he sat down.

“Yeah you know, you bring a girl up here, like the one you were talking to and she sees the candles, your… snails, the guitar and she thinks oh my god he’s not just a fuck boy and bam her panties hit the ground.” Celeste snapped her fingers

“You sound a little jealous Celeste, she rolled her eyes, and you really think we make it up to my room before the clothes come off?” he winked.

Celeste sat down across from him in a black leather desk chair and plucked the strings of the guitar.

“It’s a little out of tune, she tuned the strings and looked up at him, any requests?”

“You’re going to play for me, she nodded, I don’t know, surprise me.”

“Okay then.”

Celeste started playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star which made him laugh,

“If you’re trying to seduce me, you’re going to have to play something better than that. I’m not that easy.” He said

She nodded,

“Okay, I’ve got something but don’t laugh if I mess it up.”

Celeste started playing the beginning of one of her favorite songs. When she started singing Ian’s eyes widened,

“We could fool the datelines. We could jump the state lines. I don't wanna always play nice. But I wanna feel your heart lines. I wanna feel your heart.”

Celeste looked down at the guitar but she could feel him staring at her. Her cheeks flushed but she kept singing and pretended it was just her in her room. Until then no one had ever heard her sing.

“Have you been let down by the ones before? Do you leave too soon to know? Never fell in love 'cause I just cut loose but not when it comes to you.”

Celeste looked up at him and met his smile with her own. Instead of looking away she kept staring at him. He leaned forward like he was hanging onto every word she sang.

“Dressing in black, you're around for the weekend. Dancing at night, you're the light that I won't let go and I want you close.”

Celeste messed up a few notes. She forgot for a minute where she was. His eyes pulled her in to the point where everything around them disappeared. She could hear the music but Celeste wasn’t aware that it was her playing and singing. The only thing she was aware of was Ian.

“We could fool the datelines. We could jump the state lines. I don't wanna always play nice. But I wanna feel your heart lines. I'll pick you up at midnight. We'll run to beat the sunlight. We only get the one life and I wanna feel your heart lines. I wanna feel your heart.”

Celeste laughed and handed him the guitar,

“Here, your turn.”

He shook his head,

“That was unbelievable, he took the guitar and laid it down next to him, every time I think I’m getting close to figuring you out, you do that.” He motioned to her.

“Well you said surprise me.”

“I did and you delivered.”

Ian’s phone buzzed next to the guitar and brought her back to reality. She cleared her mind of Ian’s smile and soft gaze as he handed her his phone,

“It’s for you.”

Celeste got up and walked over to the window while Ian put the guitar back.

“Hello?”

“Hey! Sorry I didn’t get your message but I’m home now so you’re all good to come back.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll see ya.”

“See ya.”

Celeste walked over to Ian and handed him his phone,

“So is Julien home now?”

Even though there was no reason for her to stay over at Ian’s, she wanted to but she didn’t want to admit it to him.

“Uh no, he’s not coming home till tomorrow.”

“Oh okay, is there someone else you can stay with, Mina or one of the other girls.” He suggested

“Mina’s parents are kind of strict and I don’t know where anyone else lives, so…yeah.” She stood there in front of him and stared down at the floor.

“Well we have a guess room but, let me go in there and make sure no one passed out in the closet again.”

“Again, she followed him out of his room, that happened before?”

“Uh yeah, he opened the door then stopped, what is that smell?”

Celeste stuck her head in then flipped on the light switch,

“Uh I think someone peed in your guess bed.”

“Yup and that’s not all, he walked closer to the bed and shook his head, you don’t want to sleep in here, do you?”

“Not really, I can sleep on the couch downstairs. It’s fine.”

He shook his head and closed the door. Celeste followed him back down the hall to his room.

“No, you can have my bed, he walked over to his closet and pulled out some clothes for her to wear, here you can wear these.”

“Is this you’re high school football jersey, he nodded, and how many other girls have worn this, is this like your preferred outfit for the girls who sleep with you?”

“It’s more comfortable then sleeping in your sweater and jeans.” He motioned to her clothes.

“I like sleeping in jeans.” Celeste crossed her arms over her chest.

“Celeste, no one likes sleeping in jeans.” he handed her the clothes

“Fine, she took them, where are you going to sleep?”

“Uh the couch downstairs kind of sucks but I can sleep on the floor, it’s no problem.”

“I don’t want to force you out of your own bed and it’s a pretty big bed so why don’t we sleep together, his eyes got wide, I didn’t mean it like that I meant let’s sleep in the same bed but far, far apart.”

He walked up to her, inches from her face and smiled,

“If you wanted to sleep with me, all you had to do was say so.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, she leaned in even further, I’m going to go get changed.”

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b3/14/a4/b314a4dc9d78865df18176656cb0bda7.jpg  
IanJReyes0716: Getting stuff for the party tonight :P  
KingStephen009: :Dude, should I bring my bathing suit?  
IanJReyes0716: Uhh it's up to you. The pool is open. Don't puke in it this time :P  
KingStephen009: That was one time!

Song Credit: Heartlines by Broods https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nhuzg5eX2o


	38. How Big Is He?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste gets vulnerable in front of Ian and feels awkward about it. The next morning she makes it up to him and tries to sneak back into the apartment without Julien finding out.

Ian’s jersey and basketball shorts were a little big on her but it was more comfortable then her sweater and jeans. Before she opened the door to his bedroom she lifted the jersey up to her face and inhaled deep. It must have been something he wore recently, Celeste thought to herself, it smelled like him.

She opened the door at the exact time Ian took off his shirt. Celeste stood there in the doorway and admired his broad shoulders and his toned back. As she leaned over to get a better look, her shoe fell from her hand, along with her other clothes. Ian turned around and laughed,

“You okay?”

Celeste kicked her clothes to the side and stood up straight,

“Yep I’m fine, her eyes got wide as he reached for the zipper of his pants, what are you doing?” she said sounding slightly panicked. She turned away as he unzipped his jeans and pulled them off.

“I normally sleep naked, I hope you don’t mind.”

Celeste quickly glanced over her shoulder and let a nervous giggle,

“Ha, no, tonight you sleep with clothes on.”

As Ian strutted over to his dresser Celeste took the opportunity to turn around and check out his backside. Most guys she knew didn’t have much of a butt but Ian’s butt look like a nice juicy apple in his red boxer briefs.

Ian threw on a grey tank top and a pair of red basketball shorts then turned to face Celeste,

“There, is that better.”

“Yes, thank you, she walked over to his bed and looked over at him, uh which side do you want?”

“Well, Ian pulled the blanket back and fluffed up his pillows, normally I don’t sleep on a certain side.”

“Okay fine, I’ll take the left because it’s closest to the door.” Celeste pulled the sheet back and got into the bed.

Ian laughed and got into bed,

“Wow, you’re already planning your escape, Celeste shrugged her shoulders and looked over at him, I guess you’ll miss the breakfast I was going to make for you.”

“Well if it’s anything like the date you planned, I won’t be missing much.” She smirked.

Ian turned to face her and scooted closer,

“What, Oh come ‘on that was so romantic, the roof, the stars the…”

“Non-alcoholic beer that made us both gag, she laughed, looked down at his lips then into his eyes, we should probably get to sleep.”

He nodded and leaned in,

“Yeah, we probably should.”

Celeste started to lean in then turned her back to Ian and mumbled,

“Good night Ian.”

Good night Celeste.” Ian turned off the light on his bedside dresser.

A few minutes went by before Celeste heard Ian say,

“Celeste, are you awake?”

“I just laid down a few minutes ago so yeah, I’m awake.”

“Right, sorry, I just wanted to ask you if you were okay. You seemed pretty upset earlier.”

“I’m fine, it was nothing.” She gripped the blanket tight in her hands and felt a lump form in her throat.

“Okay but if you want to talk, I’m here, both literally and figuratively.”

“Thanks but I’m fine it’s just, she paused and cleared her throat, family stuff.” She said quietly

“Families are difficult sometimes and, do you wanna turn to face me it feels weird talking to your back, Celeste turned to face him, the only light source came from Ian’s clock radio, I just wanted to say that I get it, families are complicated because no matter what they do or say their apart of us. We can’t turn our back on them because when they’re being difficult that’s when they need us the most, ya know?”

She nodded,

“Yeah, you’re right I just, Celeste turned her face away from him and wiped tears out of her eyes, I’m sorry I’m just… I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” She let out a breath that turned into a sob.

“Hey, Ian gently put his hand on Celeste’s shoulder; look at me, Celeste shook her head and cried harder. Ian moved his hand to the side of her cheek and turned her face towards his, it’s okay Celeste, there’s nothing wrong with you.” His thumb gently massaged her cheek.

“Yes there is, I’m just, Celeste glanced at his lips then up at him, scared of everything.”

“It’s okay you don’t have to be scared, come here.” He put his arms around her as she buried her face into his chest and cried.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next morning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Oh shit.” Celeste mumbled to herself.

Not only did she fall asleep on Ian’s chest but, she also drooled on him a bit, perfect, she thought to herself. Celeste gently removed his arm and sat up. She had to admit he looked cute sleeping and she had this overwhelming urge to run her fingers along his jawline. But instead, she quietly got out of his bed, tip toed to the door and carefully opened it. The evidence of last night’s party was strewn about his house.

Celeste picked up the trash, bottles and empty cups downstairs. She thought Ian would have woken up while she was cleaning but he didn’t.

She decided to make him breakfast as a thank you for dealing with her slight breakdown. If the sounds of cleaning wouldn’t wake Ian up maybe the smell of food would, she thought to herself.

Celeste just finished putting both plates on the table when he walked into kitchen rubbing his hands over his face. He stopped, stared at her then at the food on the table. A huge smile spread across his face,

"You know I had a dream similar to this."

"Let me guess, I was naked, he smirked, well I hate to disappoint you but this is the best you'll get." She motioned to herself.

"This is way better than my dream." He smiled and held her gaze.

Celeste looked away and sat down,

"We should eat this before it gets cold."

“Okay, he sat down across from her and looked around, you know you didn’t have to clean up and do all of this.” He motioned to the food in front of them.

“I know but I wanted to as an apology, he looked up from his plate, I shouldn’t have assumed you had something to do with why Erica was upset, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, he took a bite of the scrambled eggs Celeste made then put his fork down, I need to apologize too, Celeste looked up, I’m sorry for purposely trying to make you jealous last night.”

“It’s okay, Celeste smiled and looked down at her plate, I guess it kind of worked.”

“You guess, Ian took a bite and winked, are you admitting that you, Celeste Drummer, were jealous?”

Before she could answer him Ian’s phone went off. He picked it up, looked at it and grinned.

"It's a little early for a booty call, isn't it?" Celeste joked.

He laughed and kept looking at his phone,

"It's never too early for a booty call Celeste but that's not who's blowing up my phone. It's Julien asking me why you never came home last night and then a bunch of emojis indicating you having sex, Celeste lunged across the table and nearly knocked her plate off, there's also party balloons and clapping hands." He stood up and walked backwards into the other room.

Celeste got up and chased after him,

“Ian, give me your phone!”

He tried to run up the stairs but she got in front of him and blocked him. He turned his back towards her and held his phone away,

“I’ll just tell him you’re still sleeping because you had a long night, winky face emoji, heart eye emoji.” He ran into the living room and jumped on the couch. Celeste plopped down next to him and laughed,

“Ian, stop messing around, she grabbed onto his arm, give me your phone.” She leaned towards him and ended up falling onto his lap. Ian looked down at her and smiled,

“Relax Celeste, I told him you would be home soon, he held his phone out to her, see.”

She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest,

“You’re such an ass.” She playfully shoved him and he shoved her back,

“Come’on, he stood up and held his hand out to her, I’ll buy you a coffee on the way home.”

 

Celeste tried to get back into the apartment without Julien noticing but he was in the kitchen making coffee when she walked in. He looked her up and down and smiled,

“I like your outfit, it’s like jock chic.”

Celeste looked down and sighed,

“Can this be one of those things we don’t talk about?”

“You mean you having a sleepover with Ian and coming in here the next morning wearing his clothes with an Iced coffee in your hands and a huge grin on your face, sure I just need to ask one thing.”

“What?”

“How big is he, Celeste shook her and walked towards her room, come ‘on I won’t tell anyone!”

She turned and yelled,

“We didn’t have sex and even if I knew that information I wouldn’t tell you!”

Celeste decided to call Mina on the house phone since she still had all of her stuff,

“Hey.”

“Heyy girl, I am so sorry about last night. I shouldn’t have drank that much.”

“It’s okay, you are forgiven as long as you can drop my stuff off sometime today.”

“Oh yeah of course, did you eat breakfast yet cause I can stop and get something on the way.”

Celeste smiled to herself and thought about her breakfast with Ian,

“No it’s okay. I already ate.”

“Okay, oh so since we don’t have classes this week I was thinking we should do something together.”

“You mean like another beach trip?”

“No, something more local like this glow party that Stephen told me about last night. It sounds like a lot of fun.”

Celeste knew that if Stephen suggested it that Ian would most likely be there but that wasn’t the reason she said yes,

“Yeah, sure it sounds great.”

“Awesome, okay we can talk more about it when I get there and ask the rest of the girls if they want to come.”

When Mina dropped off Celeste’s phone it was dead so she had to wait till it was charged. When she turned it on she had three missed calls and a few unread texts. There was one from Ian that said,

Ian Reyes: Hey I have a question to ask you :)

Celeste Drummer: What?

Ian Reyes: photo message

Ian Reyes: When would like me to drop off your clothes?

Ian Reyes: I mean they’re nice and all but I think they look better on you ;)

Celeste Drummer: You can just drop them off outside my door

Ian Reyes: Oh come ‘on, you’re not going to invite me in?

Celeste Drummer: No, I’m going to go take a shower and get out of your smelly clothes. I’ll leave them outside.

Ian Reyes: Keep them, they look better on you anyway :)

Celeste Drummer: Thanks but I don't want them. Keep em for the next girl who sleeps with you.

Ian Reyes: That's why I told you to keep them :)

Celeste Drummer: I am not going to sleep with you Ian.

Ian Reyes: I know that it's not going to happen right away but, it will happen eventually.

Celeste Drummer: Yeah right, whatever okay I'm going to go so you can just drop my clothes off outside.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/11/fa/d9/11fad98fdc6c2d398a146bb3d494ad62.jpg  
MinaBoBINA97: I know she likes to stay behind the camera but @OhhhStar17 is the best.  
LittleFoot693: She is! I just got your messages! I'm fine just nursing a hangover. Thanks!  
OhhhStar17: Gotcha, I'll post mate you some Gatorade.  
Littlefoot693: No it's fine. I already have some :)


	39. A Shoe Box

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Celeste comes out of the shower someone unexpected is sitting at the kitchen table. Ian says something that angers Celeste but she deep down she knows he's right. While cleaning out her closet Celeste finds a box containing what she thought were good memories but the bad ones still haunt her.
> 
> ****Trigger Warning*****
> 
> This chapter mentions unwanted groping. It's not a lot of it but it is mentioned so I just wanted to warn people.

Celeste put Ian’s clothes in a bag outside the door and went to go take a shower. It still felt weird for her not to obsessively check her weight every time she went into the bathroom. The calorie counting was something she still did in her head from time to time but it wasn’t as bad as it was before. When she got out of the shower she stared at her naked body in the mirror. She ran her hands along her stomach and pushed against her ribs. Someone laughing in the living room made her jump back and quickly put her clothes on.

“Hey, is that Rinaldo, Celeste used a towel to dry her hair, tell him he owes me, she stopped when she saw Ian and Julien sitting at the kitchen table together, what the hell is going on?”

Celeste wore an oversized t-shirt and shorts which wasn’t that much different from what she wore last night but she felt the urge to cover up.

“I ran into Ian while I was taking the trash out and I invited him up for some coffee.”

Ian turned and smiled at her. Celeste put her towel on the counter and joined them at the table,

“How long have you been here?” she asked Ian.

He sipped his coffee out of her coffee cup that said “Not Paint Water” on it that Julien found at a flea market for her.

“Not that long, Julien was just telling me about the one and only time you got drunk.”

Celeste sighed and glanced over at Julien,

“I think it’s time for Julien to go into his room, then over to Ian, and for you to leave.”

“But I was hoping I could see your room.”

“I’ll show you, Julien jumped up then took a step back, wow never mind I will go to my room.”

“Good idea, she turned toward Ian, and you are going to go too, behind her Celeste heard Molly’s message play on the answering machine, what are you doing?” she ran over to the counter and pressed the stop button on the answering machine.

“I was just listening to the messages, I didn’t know.” Julien looked over at Ian then to Celeste

“It’s fine, Celeste muttered, just delete it.”

She walked into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Instead of leaving Ian came and sat down on the couch next to her.

“Is that why you were upset last night, Celeste nodded and stared down at the table in front of her, what's wrong with your mom?”

“She’s sick.” she said quietly.

Without saying anything he reached over and grabbed her hand. They stayed like that for a while, Celeste fighting the urge to cry and Ian rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. It oddly felt more intimate to Celeste than what happened the night before. Maybe because last night it was in the dark and she could hide some of her emotions better. There was no hiding from him then. She glanced over at him and gave him a half smile.

“So how’s Erica doing?”

Celeste gave him a confused look and pulled her hand away,

“Um, I don’t know. I haven’t really talked to her that much. She just said she’s hungover.”

“Yeah she was pretty drunk last night and saying some weird things.”

“Like what?”

“Like why wasn’t she good enough and saying there was something wrong with her. I tried to get her to calm down and then she just lunged at me. I told it wasn’t a good idea and then she started crying and left.”

“Yeah she’s been kind of distant lately. I might try to talk to her the next time I see her.”

“I think it’s really sweet the way you take care of other people.”

“I have many years of practice.”

“But what about you?”

Celeste gave him a confused looked,

“What do you mean, what about me?”

“I think you should let someone take care of you, Celeste scrunched up her nose which made Ian laugh, yeah that was kind of the reaction I was expecting from you. You know we’ll start small, Ian got up, took a cup off the table from earlier, is this yours?”

“Yeah it’s mine, he took it and walked into the kitchen, what are you doing?” Celeste followed him to the kitchen.

Ian walked over to the sink and turned on the water,

“I am washing these dishes, Celeste stepped closer and reached for the cup, no you are going to just stand there and let me do this for you.” He pointed at her.

She put her hands up and backed away,

“Fine, just don’t use a lot of soap or a lot of water, oh and use that to wash the, Ian looked over his shoulder and motioned for her to back up, I’m just saying.” Celeste leaned up against the counter and watched him. Oh my god, she thought to herself, am I getting turned on by watching him do the dishes. She blushed and looked away from him.

“So what are you going to do during our break?”

“I don’t know, probably hang out with the girls, work on stuff for my classes and clean up around here.”

“Sounds like you’ll have plenty to keep you busy, Celeste shrugged her shoulders, I think you need to relax a little bit, he leaned in, I can help you do that.” He winked.

Celeste shoved him away and grabbed a dish from the drying rack. He tried to take it from her but she shook her head and grabbed a towel from the drawer,

“I can do nothing and dry the dishes at the same time.”

“Okay, I’ll let you dry them but only because you haven’t kicked me out yet.”

“Even if I did you would just flash that pretty boy grin, say something witty to make me forget and let you stay.”

“See I told you, he handed her a plate, you’re not immune my charms Celeste. It just took a little bit more time.”

Celeste felt some anger well up within her to the point where she thought about smashing the plate on the counter. She placed it down and turned toward him,

“So is that what this is, you trying to prove that I’m just like every other girl who has fallen for your bullshit?”

Ian sighed loudly and turned towards her,

“That is not what I meant okay, all I’m saying is that you deserve to feel good when a guy gives you attention and not scared of what may or may not happen.”

“Nothing is going to happen because you’re just like every other guy, you’re not special.”

“You’re right I’m not special, he placed his hand on the counter inches from hers, but I am different and you know it, he placed his hand over hers, that’s why you haven’t just told me to fuck off and leave you alone for good. You want this just as much as I do but I’m the only one willing to admit it.”

Celeste didn’t say anything she just stared down at the oil paint stain on the tile that wouldn’t come off. She felt so bad that she scrubbed the entire floor, the counter and all of the kitchen appliances. It was a week after she moved in and the day she met Julien. He told her he didn’t see a stain and signed the papers to move in without even seeing the rest of the apartment. Sometimes when Julien wasn’t home Celeste would scrub that tile until her fingers cramped up. She stared down at the tile for so long that she didn’t see Ian leave.

Celeste jumped at the sound of the door closing and realized she was alone in the kitchen. She finished the dishes, put a load of towels in the washer and walked down to Julien’s room.

She knocked and heard him yell,

“It’s open.”

Celeste opened the door and walked over to Julien’s bed,

“I’m sorry about earlier, I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that.”

“It’s okay, Julien motioned for Celeste to sit down next to him, I shouldn’t get in your business but Celeste, Julien took her hands, that boy has it so bad for you.”

She groaned and threw herself back against his bed,

“I know but, she paused and took a deep breath, when I think about telling Ian that I have feelings for him I just freeze up and I can’t say it and I think the reason I can’t say it is because I know once I do, that’s it. I won’t be able to just pretend I don’t like him. Not to mention all the stuff I’m going to have to tell him. I’m just scared that once I let him in he’ll realize I’m not worth the trouble, like everyone else I let close to me.”

“Sweetie that is a very normal thing to be afraid of, especially for you, but you’re letting that fear control whether or not you deserve happiness with a genuinely nice guy who is also super hot, Celeste nodded, I mean he is…”

“I know, Julien I know how hot Ian is. I know how perfect his eyelashes are, how soft his lips look and how cute his dimples are and perfect his ass looks in boxer briefs. I know all of that but I don’t know if I’ll ever feel comfortable enough sharing everything with him.”

“Start with just telling him how you feel.”

Celeste picked her head up and laughed,

“That’s where I’m supposed to start, Julien sighed, I told you I tried and I just can’t. It’s like I look into his eyes and I can’t speak and I feel like I’m going to be sick.”

“Okay, try saying it out loud to me, pretend I’m Ian, Julien got up grabbed a hat, put it on backwards and rolled the sleeves up of his long dark grey shirt to mimic the way Ian rolled up his sleeves, okay thinking straight thoughts, hot girls and football, oh shit now I’m thinking about football players asses.”

Celeste pursed her lips and laughed,

“That didn’t last long and your hat says daddy on it.”

“Well pretend it says something else, Julien sat down next to Celeste and put his arm around her, hey Celeste I think your hot.” He said in a deeper voice.

“Hey Julien pretending to be Ian I’m a little creeped out, Julien sighed, but yeah I think your hot too.” Celeste rolled her eyes.

“I like your boobies, Julien laughed and Celeste glared at him, and I like you too, for real.”

“I like you too Ian, Julien leaned in to kiss Celeste but she pushed his face away, I am not kissing you Juju.”

“There you go, Julien exclaimed, you did it. Now you just have to tell him.”

Celeste groaned and laid her head on Julien’s shoulder,

“Why can’t I just pretend I’m a robot with no feelings, beep bop beep bop.”

“Because robots can’t fall in love and you deserve to be happy Celeste even if it won’t be easy, Julien looked over at Celeste, I promise you it will be worth it.”

“I know you’re trying to be sweet but, Celeste smiled and took the hat off his head, I can’t take anything you say seriously with that hat on.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Celeste suggested to Erica that they should go get some coffee and talk about her blog post. It had been about a week since anything was posted and it was Erica’s turn. It also gave Celeste a chance to check in and see how Erica was doing.

Erica Wright: Uh yeah sure, I need to take care of some things around the house and then I’ll be free for the rest of the day.

Celeste Drummer: Okay let me know when you’re done. I’ll just be doing stuff around the apartment.

Erica Wright: Okay. I’ll text you when I’m on my way.

While Celeste waited for Erica she cleaned out her closet and found a shoe box underneath a paint tarp in the back of her closet. Before she even opened it she knew what was inside of it, pictures of them, her friends from when she was younger.

She was tempted to throw the box away but there was something that stopped her. It was filled with some good memories, the ones she didn’t want to forget. Celeste sat down on the floor cross legged and opened the lid after wiping some dust from it. The first picture was of just her and Scott, sitting outside her house on the front porch. Both of them had red cheeks from all the days they spent outside in the summer. Scott had Celeste’s white bug eyed sunglasses on which made her throw her head back and laugh. Someone snapped the picture at that exact moment. It was a happy memory, she was only 12 or 13 at the time and things with her mom hadn’t gotten that bad yet.

The next few things she pulled out were Christmas and birthday cards that she kept. Celeste flipped the one card over and saw a picture stuck to the back of it. It was a photo of all of them, Celeste, Scott, their friend Nate and Josh. Everyone in the photo was dressed up for Halloween, except for Josh but he looked scarier than anyone. Celeste went as mother nature, she painted vines and flowers on her arms, legs and neck, put some fake flowers and leaves in her hair and wore a green tube top and brown shorts. Scott went as a rock star, he borrowed a leather jacket from Celeste, spray painted his hair red and gelled it up. Nate just wore a melted skeleton face mask that pumped blood through it. Josh didn’t dress up.

They were 15 maybe 16 and even though they didn’t really go trick or treating that night, they did walk around town for a long time. It was Josh’s idea to play hide and seek in the woods. It was also his idea to be it.

Celeste hid herself pretty well but Josh found her. He came up behind her and groped her chest over her top.

“What the hell are you doing?” she yelled and pushed him away.

“I knew you weren’t wearing a bra, he laughed, reached out and tried to pull her top down, that’s so hot.”

She twisted away from him and ran away with tears streaming down her face. Behind them she heard Scott ask,

“What’s wrong with Celeste?”

“She’s probably on her period or something.” Josh said and the others laughed.

Being the only girl in their group didn’t bother Celeste until she turned about 13. They made comments about her body and how it developed. Whether it was a positive or negative comment didn’t matter to her. She hated it but, she tolerated it. She put up with the many times Josh begged her to have sex with him and all the times he touched her inappropriately. He used their friendship as an excuse, told her she could trust him but she never gave in to his pleas.

After that night something changed in Celeste. She blamed herself for what she was wearing and got rid of anything that showed too much skin. Her wardrobe became very plain, over-sized t-shirts, sweaters and jeans in very neutral colors. She thought if she made herself look undesirable that Josh would leave her alone but that didn’t happen until she moved away from home.

Celeste looked down at the picture crumpled up in her hands. She dropped it back in the box and shoved the box under her bed where it should have stayed.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/57/7e/ab/577eabdf3469c4aaa0fb9ab4cfc516a9.jpg  
JuJuWearsA22: Give love a chance :)


	40. I Like Ian

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste and Erica confide in each other but Celeste is worried they might be talking about the same person. Later that night Celeste tries to talk to Ian but it doesn't go well. After seeing him get into a fight Celeste has second thoughts about the possibility of a relationship with him.

Instead of Celeste asking Erica what was wrong, Erica asked Celeste what was wrong as soon as she got in the car.

“Yeah I’m okay, Celeste put her seat belt on, I just found a box of old stuff while I was cleaning and some of it is hard to look at, even the good memories.”

“I get that, Erica tucked her hair behind her ear and backed out of the space, I have several memory boxes filled with things and I’m talking embarrassing things that I shouldn’t keep.”

“Like what?”

Erica winced and bit her bottom lip,

“Like a spoon from the ice cream date on went on in 5th grade.”

“You kept the spoon?” Celeste’s eyes widened.

“Yeah but I cleaned it off, Erica’s smile slowly faded, but there’s also stuff in those boxes that I would rather not see again because even though it’s a good memory it’s also a little sad too.”

“I actually thought about throwing it away but I just couldn’t.”

“I think there are certain times when you can look back and be happy about memories and there’s other times it just makes you miss the way things used to be. I would say focus on making memories now.”

Celeste nodded as Erica pulled into a park spot in front of the coffee shop,

“Yeah, you’re right; I need to focus on what’s happening now.”

After getting their coffee, Celeste and Erica decided to go for walk on a bike trail not too far from the coffee place. The weather was pretty nice, there was a slight breeze but it was warm enough where she didn’t need a jacket over her blue quarter length sleeve shirt. Erica wore a long light blue maxi skirt with a plain white top. The way her skirt flowed in the wind looked like waves.

“You look cute today.” Celeste bumped her shoulder into Erica’s as they walked side by side.

“Thanks, I’m feeling a little bit better from the other day.”

“Yeah I heard about that, is everything okay?”

“Yeah I just had a lot on my mind and shocker, drinking a bunch did not help, Erica laughed, but I do feel kind of dumb for how I acted.”

“It’s okay, I do dumb stuff daily without any alcohol, Celeste looked over at Erica and tilted her head down, but if there’s something more going on you can talk to me about it.”

“I know, I’ve just been realizing things about myself and I clearly haven’t been handling it well. It’s just hard to talk about and I really don’t even know where to begin.”

“I understand, I’m kind of going through something to and I don’t know how to talk about it either.”

“Well we can try to talk about it without actually saying it, Erica shrugged her shoulders, okay there’s someone that I thought I was really close to but this person kind of just randomly stops talking to me or hanging out with me and I’m trying to be respectful and not push the issue but, Erica smiled and shook her head, I can stop thinking about them and I literally want to be around them all the time.”

“My problem is actually similar but I’m the one who keeps pulling away, Celeste looked for some recognition that Erica knew who she was talking about but she didn’t see any, so I guess maybe the person keeps pulling away for the same reason I am.”

“Why do you keep pulling away from the person you’re talking about?”

“A lot of reasons, I’m scared of getting close, I’m scared of sharing everything about me with someone and I just don’t know if I can do it.”

“Celeste, Erica stopped and put her hand on Celeste’s shoulder, you can literally do anything. You are so good at everything like it’s insane. You’re such an awesome person; it would be a shame not to share that someone.”

Celeste felt tears welling up in her eyes,

“Awe Erica, she reached out and hugged her, you’re like the sweetest person ever and whoever your talking about is going to realize it and be with you.”

As soon as Celeste said it she wished she could take back the last part. What if it’s Ian she’s talking about, Celeste thought t herself and felt a wave of panic come over her.

“I hope so, you would really like them Celeste and I hope one day I can introduce them to everyone. I’m just worried about what everyone’s reaction would be.”

Celeste bit her bottom lip and sighed,

“Yeah I’m worried about that too but as long your happy the people who truly matter will see that and be happy for you, Celeste shook her head and laughed, I guess I should take my own advice huh?”

“It is good advice, how about we both consider it and take some time to think about it.”

“Okay, oh by the way it’s your turn to write a post or we can post something from someone else. We got a lot of submissions that I haven’t even gone through yet.”

“No it’s okay I think I can write something but it might take a little bit, is that okay?”

“Yeah sure, I’ll just post some of the ones I had lined up until you’re ready.”

On their way back to Erica’s car, Celeste and Erica both got a message from the group chat,

Mina Saray: Hey guys! It’s half off Wing Wednesday tonight at Jerry’s bar. I know it’s not our normal spot but I thought it could be fun. Who’s in?

Celeste shrugged her shoulders and looked over at Erica,

“It could be fun and I do love wings.”

“Okay but if they have blue drinks, we cannot let Daisy have any.”

Celeste laughed and got in the car,

“Yeah that was gross; it was like the exorcist except it was bright blue and green puke.”

Erica shivered and stuck her nose up in disgust,

“Yeah I’m not going to drink at all. I think even smelling alcohol might make me sick.”

Celeste Drummer: Okay, Erica and I are in.

Mina Saray: Awesome!

Daisy Torres: I’m in too. You know I’m not going to say no to some wings.

Nehemie Cambre: Are we talking spicy wings or like white people spicy wings (no offense Celeste and Erica)

Celeste and Erica looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

Mina Saray: Hahaha!

Mina Saray: I just looked at their menu online and they have five levels of spiciness

Daisy Torres: Dude!!! I ate level 3 and almost died. True story.

Nehemie Cambre: Okay that makes me feel a little better. Sure I’ll go.

Erica started her car and looked over at Celeste,

“Ask them what time they want to meet up.”

Celeste Drummer: Erica wants to know what time we should meet up.

Mina Saray: I was thinking between 5:30 and 6, does that sound good?

“She said between 5:30 and 6, we can just go back to my place and hang out until then if you want.”

Erica nodded,

“Okay sure, Julien said the next time I came over that he would give me a makeover and I’m kind interested to see what he means by that.”

“Lots of makeup and very bold everything, bold eye brows, bold lips and probably a lot sparkles.”

“Sounds like fun.”

Celeste Drummer: Okay, we’ll meet you guys there around 5:30. Whoever wants to crash at my place is always welcome to.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Back at the apartment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“God I love your hair, Julien brushed out Erica’s hair and put it up to his head, do you think I can pull off being a blonde?” Julien said to Celeste as she on the edge of the tub.

Celeste made a clicking noise with her tongue,

“I don’t know Juju, that might be the one thing you can’t pull off.”

“Hmm, yeah you might be right, he grabbed the curling iron that Celeste rarely used, although you did tell me I couldn't pull off overalls and I made them work.”

Celeste nodded with wide eyes,

“Yeah I remember, you flashed like four people because you didn't wear the right kind of underwear.”

Julien took a section of Erica’s hair and gently wrapped it around the barrel of the curling iron. He shrugged his shoulders,

“But besides that, they looked good.”

Julien used a hair clip to separate the top part of Erica’s hair from the bottom. Erica moved the hair away from her face so that she could see.

“You know I was actually thinking of cutting my hair...”

Julien gasped and leaned down to look at Erica,

“You should let me do it!”

“Uhh yeah, maybe.”

Erica looked over at Celeste who shook her head with a horrified look on her face. Julien glared at Celeste over his shoulder

“Okay i went to and almost finished cosmetology school so don't even start with me.” He waved the curling iron at her.

Celeste laughed and leaned towards Erica,

“The key word is almost, she looked up at Julien, you almost finished but you didn’t.”

Julien mocked Celeste and took another section of Erica’s hair to curl. Erica laughed up looked up at Julien,

“Can I ask why didn't you finish?”

“I found out the guy I met there had a girlfriend. I mean come on, who could've seen that coming, he laughed and gently brushed the curls out with his fingers, normally I have great gaydar, Erica rolled her eyes, Seriously, I can just look at someone and tell how far they've gotten with the same sex.”

“Really, Julien nodded, fine do it to me.” Erica smirked.

Celeste and Julien shared a look between each other.

“Okay, Julien knelt down in front of Erica and grabbed both her hands, ohhh okay I can tell that you have definitely kissed a girl before, he leaned in, possibly more than once but not much else.”

Erica's face turned bright red and she looked to Celeste then up at Julien,

“You can tell that from just looking into my eyes and holding my hands?”

Julien nodded and took the clip of Erica’s hair to curl the rest of it.

“Yup, so are you gonna kiss and tell or leave it a mystery?”

Celeste watched Erica play with the hem of her shirt nervously.

“Well uhh my first kiss was actually a girl.”

Oh, Celeste thought to herself, maybe that’s why Erica has been acting strange. If her first kiss was a girl, maybe her mystery person was too. She didn’t want to just flat out ask Erica if that was the case because if it was she clearly wasn’t comfortable talking about it. Giving Erica a reassuring smile seemed like the best thing Celeste could do.

“Really?” Julien seemed intrigued too.

“Yeah it wasn't really a big deal.”

“Okay we're all friends here, be honest who kisses better guys or girls?” Julien asked.

Erica shifted uncomfortably and laughed,

“I don't know, it's different I guess. It kind of hard to compare the two but, she smirked, in my opinion girls are just so much softer when they kiss. With the guys I’ve kissed it just feels like they’re doing it to get to the “good stuff”.”

Julien nodded,

“I see what you’re saying and it’s so true. You can tell how far a guy wants to go with you by how they kiss you.”

Celeste picked her head up to listen,

“Really, they both nodded, how do you know if a guy wants more than just sex from you?”

Julien arched his brows and smirked. Celeste subtly shook her head, she didn’t want Erica to know that she was asking in reference to Ian.

“Well it depends on where a guy kisses you, the hand, forehead or top of the head, could be friendly but also they might be interested in something more. The cheek is also pretty innocent but it’s getting closer to the lips which is the” I like you and this is me telling you”.”

“Oh, Julien curled the last bit of Erica’s hair and fluffed it up with his hands, and tongue is a big factor if they go straight in with tongue they have definitely thought about you naked at some point.”

As Celeste sat there she started to feel overwhelmed by all the information she was given.

“So let’s say you’re kissing a guy, Julien looked over at Celeste and smiled, how do you stop him from going too far?”

Erica stood up and sat down next to Celeste,

“You tell him, Celeste looked away, look if you’re not comfortable with something just tell that person and if they really care about you they won’t have a problem with it.”

While Julien did Erica’s hair, Celeste went through Ian’s Instagram and read through their old messages. A couple of messages stuck out to her from when he was calling her his “friend”

Ian Reyes: You know you stare at me a lot in class, friend :)

Celeste Drummer: That’s only because I can feel you constantly staring at me.

Ian Reyes: Well of course I stare, have you seen yourself, friend?

Celeste Drummer: Just because you add friend at the end of your sentences doesn’t make it any less weird.

Ian Reyes: Would telling you that the reason I can’t stop staring at you is because you’re the most beautiful and eye catching person in the room make it less weird?

Instead of answering him Celeste let their conversation stop there. She could have called him a creep or told him to knock it off but she didn’t want to. Celeste re read those messages to herself over and over many times. There were plenty of other girls in the room who Celeste thought were ten times better looking than her. They had better hair, better skin and dressed for their body shape but Ian thought she was more beautiful than them. It was the first time in a long time she felt more confident, not because he said it but because she really believed it. He made her feel like she was beautiful and she wanted to feel that way again.

 

Before Erica and Celeste went into the bar Erica wiped off some of the hot pink lipstick Julien put on her before they left.

“It’s nice but I don’t want it to end up everywhere while I’m eating wings.”

“I totally understand, Celeste checked her phone to see if Ian answered her message, should we head in?”

Erica nodded then sighed,

“Celeste, she stopped then turned towards Erica, the person I’m kind of seeing is a girl but I can’t tell you who because she’s not out yet and I mean neither am I really but I just wanted someone to know.”

Celeste smiled and reached her arms out. She hugged Erica tight then mumbled into her hair,

“I like Ian.”

Erica pulled away and gasped,

“What, Celeste looked away, you like Ian? That’s who you were talking about?”

Celeste nodded and picked the skin around her fingers,

“Yeah and I know how terrible he was to you and probably a lot of other girls but, she paused and took a deep breath, I just can’t stop thinking about him.”

“Awe, Erica reached out and hugged Celeste, have you told anyone besides me?”

Celeste leaned away and shook her head,

“No, not really I mean Julien kind of knows but I haven’t even told Ian, she looked up, I’m just worried about what everyone will say and everything that happens after.”

“You mean because you’re a, Celeste nodded, that’s not going to matter to Ian if he really cares about you.”

“He actually already knows, we’ve talked a lot recently and I feel like even though I haven’t told him everything, he understands and he really listens and, Erica smiled at Celeste, I just like the way I feel when I’m with him.”

“I know exactly how you feel, it’s not easy falling for someone that you didn’t see coming, Erica laughed and put her hand on Celeste’s shoulder, by the way I’m not talking about Ian so don’t worry. I mean yeah I did like him and I thought something might happen but deep down I knew he wasn’t meant for me and clearly I was right.”

“I wouldn’t go as far as to say we’re meant for each other but I do feel different since meeting him.”

“Awe, Erica hugged Celeste again, okay we should head inside but we can talk about this later, okay?”

“Okay, I’m glad you told me and don’t worry I won’t say anything.”

“Thank you, and I won’t say anything to anyone either.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~At the bar~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jerry’s wasn’t a very big place but luckily the rest of the girls grabbed a table when they got there.

“Hey guys, Mina stopped and looked over at Erica, whoa went a little heavy on the eye makeup there girl.”

Celeste sat down next to Erica and reached for a fry off of Mina’s plate,

“You mean Julien went a little heavy on the eye makeup, Celeste dipped the fry in ketchup and popped it into her mouth, so what did you guys order?”

“I got the level 2 hot wings with a side of ranch cause I’m not trying to die tonight.” Daisy glared over at Nehemie.

“I ordered the level 3 hot wings cause I’m not trying to die either but I ain’t no bitch.” Nehemie blew a kiss at Daisy.

Mina rolled her eyes and laughed,

“Y’all pick the weirdest things to be competitive about I swear.”

Celeste looked down at her phone, still no message from Ian. Celeste and Erica decided to share some wings because neither of them had much of an appetite. They chose the honey barbecue wings which Nehemie and Daisy poked fun at them for,

“Ehhh they’re taste buds can’t handle it.” Daisy teased.

“It’s not my taste buds I’m worried about, it’s my stomach.”

“Yeah I bet you guys are going to be spending a lot of time in the bathroom, have fun with that.” Erica laughed then squeezed Celeste’s leg under the table.

Celeste jumped,

“Ouch, what the, she looked up and saw Ian walk in with Garret, oh.”

He didn’t even look her way as they walked past the table and went over to the bar. When their food came Celeste only took a few bites and let Erica share the rest with Daisy who couldn’t handle the level 2 wings. Nehemie had to order more bread to get through the rest of her wings.

"Oh great, Mallory’s brother just walked in, it’s a good thing Stephen isn’t here.” Mina said taking a sip of her drink.

Celeste immediately looked around the bar for Ian and spotted him playing pool in the corner, luckily he didn’t spot Tyrus yet. Celeste pulled out her phone and sent Ian a text,

 

Celeste Drummer: I need to talk to you, can you meet me by the bathroom please?

She watched reach into his pocket and pull out his phone,

Ian Reyes: Sure

“Can you let me out, I’m going to go to the bathroom.” Celeste yelled into Erica’s ear.

“Sure, she looked around, is everything okay?”

"Yeah, I'll be right back."

 

"Hey." Celeste rocked back and forth on her feet in front of him.

“Hey, What did you want to talk about?”

“Nothing really, I was just thinking, do you want to get out of here?”

“You want to leave with me, Celeste nodded, why?”

“I just don’t feel like being in bar right now so I thought we could go do something.” Celeste reached out and touched his arm.

“What’s going on with you Celeste?” he stepped back.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you, standing here and flirting with me when yesterday you were telling me I’m just like every other guy, before she could answer; Garret came over and whispered something into Ian’s ear. He looked behind Garret and shook his head, okay I’ll be right there, he put his hand on Celeste’s shoulder, you should probably go Celeste, okay?”

Celeste grabbed his hand as he walked away and made him face her,

“Please, don’t do anything to Tyrus.”

“What, how did you, his expression hardened, you talked to Stephen didn’t you?”

Celeste lowered her head and nodded. Ian shook his head and leaned up against the wall.

“He just doesn’t want you to get in trouble.”

Ian closed his eyes and laughed,

“Oh my god, he pushed himself away and stood in front of Celeste, that’s why you’ve been hanging out with me?”

“No, Ian lowered his head to Celeste to look at him, I mean yeah at first because Stephen wanted to protect you.” She reached for his hands

“So he did that by having you babysit me, Jesus I’m so fucking stupid. I thought that you… you know what just stay away from me Celeste.” He pulled his hands away and walked back into the bar.

Celeste stood there with her hands still out and blinked away tears. Someone in the bar yelled something that snapped her out of her daze. She ran out and saw Garret pinned against the wall by Tyrus. She saw Ian run up behind Tyrus pulled him off of Garret and start pounding on him.

“Ian!” she yelled but it was too loud or he ignored her and kept hitting Tyrus.

Erica grabbed Celeste and pulled her towards her,

“What happened? What did you say to him?”

Celeste shook her head and watched the security guard carry Ian out of the bar.

“Nothing I just, she looked at the others, can we just get out of here?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Back at the apartment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Celeste, why are you still up?” Julien asked as he sat down next to her on the couch.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“I’m getting a vibe from you, is there something wrong?” Julien grabbed her hand

“No I’m just overthinking, you know the usual, Julien leaned in and looked her in the eye, really again with this?”

“It worked last time.”

“I’ll just tell you, Stephen kind of asked me to keep an eye on Ian so he didn’t do anything dumb. Ian found out tonight and he did something dumb.”

“What did he do?”

“He got into a fight and ended up being escorted out by police so I don’t know if he get arrested or what happened because he’s not answering my messages.”

“So I guess you haven’t told him you like him?”

“I was going to and then he found out about Stephen asking me to keep an eye on him and now I don’t know if it’s such a good idea.”

“Why, because he got into a fight, Celeste nodded, well why did he do it?”

“Well Tyrus had Ian’s friend shoved up against the wall.”

“So he was defending him.”

“Yeah but he could have gotten a security guard or something. I mean he just went crazy, Celeste wrapped her arms around herself, I’ve never seen him like that.”

“Okay but didn’t you do the same thing for Mina not too long ago and what about that guy I had to stop you from beating up at the food festival when he called me a fag for wearing my pink wig?”

“Yeah but that was different. I was trying to stop Mallory from going after Mina and that guy totally deserved it, you weren’t doing anything wrong and he just decided to be a close minded prick for no reason.” Celeste clenched her fists at the thought of that guy.

“That’s true, what did the guy Ian got into a fight with do?”

“He’s the one who beat up Stephen.”

“That sounds like a good enough reason to kick someone’s ass, Celeste sighed, seriously what if someone did that to one of the girls or me, what would you do?”

“I’d probably do worse to them, it’s just I’ve seen that type of anger before from my dad and being with someone like him scares the absolute shit out of me.”

“Just because Ian has a temper does not make him your daddy, Julien smiled and nudged his shoulder into Celeste’s, unless you want him to be.”

She shook her head,

“Not the time Juju.”

He nodded and reached for her hand,

“Right I’m sorry, my point is that telling Ian you have feelings for him is going to make you feel so much better. Even if nothing happens, you need that weight to be lifted off of your shoulders.”

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/6f/22/5e/6f225e20c8bf8b3bc3b95c7485490206.jpg  
OhhhStar17: I'm _ _ _ _ _


	41. An Awesome Idea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after the fight Celeste still hasn't heard from Ian which worries her. When she finally get her opportunity to finally tell him how she feels she freezes up again.
> 
> *Spoiler alert*
> 
> This chapter ends happy :)

Celeste cancelled her therapy appointment for the next day and laid in bed. Julien came in before he left for work to borrow a jacket from Celeste.

“Sure, she motioned to the closet, have at it.”

Celeste opened her laptop and answered comments on the blog but her attention kept getting pulled towards her phone.

“Oh how does this one look, Julien came out of her closet wearing Celeste’s fitted dark blue blazer, does this look say please give me a raise because I need more money please?”

Celeste looked up and nodded,

“Yeah it looks great.”

Julien walked over and sat down next to her,

“Have you heard anything from Ian?”

Celeste and shook her head,

“Nope, I’ve been stalking everyone’s social media to find out what happened with Ian and all I found out was that Ian and Garrett were taken in custody but released a couple of hours ago, Celeste showed Julien her phone, Garrett posted that an hour ago.”

“Well at least you know he’s okay.”

Celeste took her phone back and laid it down next to her,

“Yeah but I really wish he would answer me.”

“He will, don’t worry, Julien jumped up from her bed, shit I gotta go. Wish me luck!” he yelled as he ran out of her room.

“Good luck!” Celeste shouted and reached for her phone.

She had a message from Erica,

Erica Wright: Hey. How are you doing today?

Celeste Drummer: I’m okay. How are you?

Erica Wright: I’m doing pretty good, I’m actually with my…uh “friend” I told you about.

Celeste Drummer: Oh! That’s great! Does that mean you guys talked?

Erica Wright: Yeah kind of. We’re still working some things out but right now things are good.

Celeste Drummer: YAY! I’m so happy for you!

Erica Wright: Thanks!

Erica Wright: So…have you heard from Ian?

Erica Wright: I saw Garret’s Instagram post.

Celeste Drummer: Yeah I saw it too. I texted him but he hasn’t answered me.

Erica Wright: He might be sleeping but I know he’ll answer you. I’m going to go but text me if you need anything. <3

Celeste Drummer: Okay I will <3

Celeste typed a few words of her paper then deleted them. She looked over at her phone. The solid green light meant that it was charged but she didn’t have a message. The song on her play list changed to a Frank Ocean song. She reached her arms up and stretched till she could feel a slight stretch in her back muscles. She sang along with the song and picked up the articles next to her.

“Is Advertising Manipulating Women into Selling Their Bodies Spawning A Generation of “Thots”, she scoffed, now we’re the thot generation, nice.”

She sighed and looked over at her phone again, still solid green which meant no message. Celeste gave up working on her paper and decided to message Stephen.

Celeste Drummer: Hey, have you heard from Ian today?

Stephen Landon: No, I just saw Garrett’s pic on Instagram so I sent Ian a text and he hasn’t answered me. What happened last night?

Celeste Drummer: I don’t know…I tried to get Ian to leave with me but he got suspicious then Garrett came over and said something to him. I tried to stop him, btw he knows about you asking me to watch out for him. I’m sorry.

Stephen Landon: It’s okay. At least you tried. He’ll get over it once he cools down. I’ll let you know if I hear from him.

Celeste Drummer: Okay, thanks.

 

Celeste went back to writing her paper for a while then decided to text Ian again. The string of unread texts to him read,

Celeste Drummer: Hey, I just wanted to know if you’re okay. 9:56 am

Celeste Drummer: I also wanted to apologize again. 9:59 am

Celeste Drummer: I just saw Garrett’s post, glad you’re okay. 11:03 am

Celeste Drummer: I text Stephen and he said he hasn’t heard from you. If you don’t want to talk to me that’s fine but please text him back. 11:34 am

Celeste Drummer: I’m sorry for everything. 11:40 am

 

 

Julien came home an hour later and went right into his room.

“Julien, Celeste lightly knocked, is everything okay?”

“I’m fine my life is just falling apart!” he yelled through the door.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, I just want to cry and be dramatic about it right now!”

“Okay, I’m going to go but I’ll be here if you need me.”

Celeste decided to distract herself by baking homemade chocolate chip cookies. Julien came out of his room a little while later dressed in Hawaiian print crop top, shorts and a straw hat. Celeste set her second batch of cookies on the counter and looked over at him,

“Hey, everything okay?”

“Yeah, I was just being extra. The meeting was to tell everyone that the higher ups and impressed and people may be getting fired, Julien shrugged his shoulders, but it’ll be okay. I’ll figure something out if it is me.”

“Okay, umm what’s with dad on vacation look?” she motioned with the spatula in her hand.

He grabbed a cookie off the cooling rack and took a bite of it,

“It’s luau night at the Stone Raven, if you dress up you can get in for five bucks. So I’m guessing you haven’t heard from Ian yet.”

Celeste spooned more cookies onto her cookie sheet and shook her head,

“No I have not and if I don’t hear from him soon I’m going to show up to his house so I can see with my own two eyes that he is okay.”

“Well if you do that, bring him some cookies, Julien put his arm around Celeste, he’ll call don’t worry, okay?”

“Okay, have fun getting “laid”.”

“Just for the terrible pun I’m taking some more cookies, Julien took two cookies In each hand and put them in his pockets, I might not be back tonight but call me if you need anything.” He kissed her cheek.

“I will, be safe!” she called out to him.

Celeste was about to put another patch of cookies in when her phone rang on the kitchen table. She threw the cookie sheet in the oven, closed the door and ran to answer her phone without even seeing who is was,

“Hello?”

“Hey what are you doing right now?” Erica asked.

“I’m about to eat a dozen cookies, maybe more. Why?”

“Do you still want to talk to Ian?”

“Yeah but he’s not answering my texts.”

“Well I’m out with Mina and Stephen at this club and he just walked in so if you want to talk to him, this is your chance.”

“Okay, give me the address.”

Celeste ran back to her room, took off her sweat pants and over sized Betty Boop shirt and pulled out a pair of jeans and a red velvety shirt from her closet. As she changed into her clothes she called for an Uber and hobbled around the room trying to put her pants on. Celeste brushed her hair up into a pony tail and grabbed her purse off the back of the chair. While she was in the bathroom brushing her teeth Celeste remembered the cookies in the oven.

“Shit!”

She ran into the kitchen and turned off the stove. The cookies were already burnt so she didn’t even bother to get them out before she left the apartment.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~At the club~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

As soon as Celeste got there she found Erica in the crowd, she stood out in her sparkly sequin top.

“Hey, Erica exclaimed, wow you look great.”

“Thanks, Celeste looked around, have you seen him?”

“Uh he was by the bar a little bit ago, oh wait there he is!” Erica pointed towards the stage where the DJ booth was.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.”

Celeste pushed her way through the crowd. The closer she got to him the more sick she felt. When she was within reaching distance of him she yelled,

“Hey!”

Ian turned around and nodded,

“Hey.” He said barely looking at her.

She leaned in, placed her hand on his shoulder and yelled into his ear,

“Can we go somewhere and talk?”

“I don’t really feel like talking right now.” He said walking away from her.

Celeste followed him and grabbed his arm to get his attention. He drank his beer and looked away from her. She leaned in close to his ear so he could hear her,

“Look I know your mad but just let me explain, okay?”

He nodded, she took his hand and weaved through the crowds of people until they were by the restrooms. There were a few people hanging around so it was quieter. In the light of the hallway Celeste could see how annoyed Ian was with her.

“What do you want?” he pulled his hand away from her.

She sighed and looked over at him,

“I wanted to know how you were, you never answered my texts. I was really worried about you.” She added.

“I’m fine, his gaze softened, sorry I didn’t answer your texts. I had a lot going on.”

“I understand, Celeste smiled and continued, also I wanted to apologize for not telling you that Stephen asked me to look out for you, I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, it just all makes sense now.”

Celeste tilted her head slightly to the left,

“What are you talking about?”

“You were only hanging around me because Stephen asked you too.”

“No, there were other reasons too, Celeste looked away from him, I did it because, she looked up at him and sighed, I did it because...”

“Because what, did he pay you or something?” Ian crossed his arms over his chest.

“No I, she stepped back and closed her eyes, I can’t do this, it was mistake. I should go.”

Ian reached, grabbed Celeste’s arm and turned her to face him,

“Just tell me you don’t have feelings for me and I’ll leave you alone, Celeste looked up at him, I promise.”

Celeste opened her mouth to say something, closed it then shook her head,

“I can’t, she looked up at him, I’m sorry.”

He let go of her and stepped back,

“Fine, Celeste, you win.”

Celeste leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. Someone waiting to go into the bathroom bumped into her. She apologized and wiped tears out of her eyes. This is it, Celeste thought to herself, you need grow some balls, go find Ian and tell him you like him. 

She took a deep breath and walked back into the club to find Ian. Instead of finding him she spotted Stephen with Mina and walked towards them.

“Hey, when did you get here?”

Celeste ignored Mina’s question and asked

“Have you guys seen Ian?”

“Uh yeah, I think he went outside for some air.” Stephen said with his arm around Mina.

“Cool thanks, I’ll be right back.”

Celeste walked outside and looked around but she didn’t see him so she pulled out her phone and called him. It went straight to voicemail.

“Hey it’s Ian leave me a message and I’ll call you back, thanks.”

She walked down the street and tried to call him again, same thing. Celeste started pacing back and forth and called him one more time,

“Hello?”

She whipped her head around and saw him standing there with his phone in his hand. Celeste hung up and walked up to him,

“What I wanted to say is that you and me, she pointed to herself then him, this will never work. Okay, it’s a really bad idea for many reasons.”

“Okay.” He agreed.

She walked closer,

“It’s not right, no matter how I feel. I can’t be with you and this has to stop.”

He nodded and stepped closer,

“Okay, is that all you wanted to say?” He asked softly.

Celeste shook her head,

“No, I...” she stopped and looked into his eyes, which were slightly glossy like he had tears in them. She looked down at his lips, grabbed his face between her hands and kissed him. Ian stood there awkwardly with his hands at his side, then smiled and wrapped his arms around her. Celeste let out a giggle as he picked her and spun her around,

“This is a…” he cut her off by kissing her again.

He pulled away and smiled with his hands still cradling her face,

“An awesome idea.”

Celeste smiled and laughed,

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

Ian gently kissed her again and pulled away,

“It’s up to you, if you don’t want to do this, tell me now before I fall madly in love with you.”

“I want this.” She said quietly.

He kissed her again with more urgency this time and more tongue. Celeste tried to mimic what she saw in movies and T.V shows but it felt weird to her. If Ian felt the same way it didn’t show. His hands were up and down her back, lifting her shirt up just over her jeans.

“Maybe we should slow down a little.” Celeste pulled away and looked up at him.

“Yeah, sorry I guess I got carried away.” Ian reached for Celeste’s hand and kissed it, so, what should we do now?”

Celeste looked over at Ian as he drove to her apartment. She watched the oncoming headlights flash against his face. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

“See anything you like?” His lips stretched into a smile.

Celeste leaned over and kissed him on the cheek,

“Yeah I do.”

He smiled and reached for her hand. Celeste’s phone vibrated in her other hand. It was a message from Erica,

Erica Wright: Everything good?

Celeste snapped a picture of her holding hands with Ian and sent it to Erica,

Celeste Drummer: Photo message

Celeste Drummer: All good :)

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/fe/f8/0d/fef80da4f923141e08277a8d11eb72d6.jpg  
OhhhStar17: It's a older photo but it's the best way to describe how happy I am right now  
IanJReyes0716 liked this photo


	42. We're Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste and Ian spend the weekend together. When Celeste starts to feel anxious, Julien is there to calm her down and get her to share her feelings with Ian.
> 
> **This part is just filled with some cute fluffy stuff because I wanted them to have a few days to themselves to live in their own little bubble before having to deal with everyone else finding out. Hope you like it :) **

“Say it again.” Ian propped himself up on his elbow and looked over at Celeste.

Celeste laid there with Ian in her bed, wrapped up in the covers and gently stroked his hair. She moved her hand away and sighed,

“Seriously, he nodded eagerly. Celeste rolled her eyes, I like you Ian.”

He scooted closer and gently swept the hair away from her shoulder,

“How much do you like me?”

“Enough to have you in my bed.” She leaned forward and pressed her nose against his. Ian smiled and softly kissed her,

“And I’m naked.” He said in between kissing her.

“No you’re not, she pulled back the covers and laughed, you’ve still got your jeans on. I’m more naked than you are.” She motioned to her shorts and grey cropped sweatshirt that she changed into once they got back. Ian respectfully stayed out of her room while she changed and ended up eating several cookies in the kitchen.

“Yeah but you pulled back the covers to check didn’t you, he winked, it’s okay that you want to see me naked Celeste.”

She playfully pushed him away as he leaned in to kiss her cheek,

“Damn you caught me, I actually did all of this just so I can get you into my bed, surprise.”

He leaned over pushing her deeper into the bed,

“Please if that were the case this would have happened a long time ago.”

“Maybe I like playing the long game.” Celeste teased and ran her hand under Ian’s shirt.

Ian smirked and leaned in to kiss her cheek slowly moving towards her neck,

“How long are we talking?” Ian said as he kissed her neck harder.

Celeste felt a jolt of panic in her chest

“Stop.” She gasped.

Ian stopped and looked down at her,

“Hey what’s wrong? What just happened, we were being flirty and now you look like you’re about to cry.”

Celeste felt like she wanted to cry too. It was too fast for her, no matter how badly she wanted to just give in to that part of her, she couldn’t. She had to listen to her mind and tell Ian she didn’t feel comfortable. She looked over at him, he looked so concerned and like he was about to start apologizing.

“Did you really mean it when you said you would be happy just sitting here all night and just listening to me talk?”

“You tell me, do I look happy, she nodded, are you happy?”

“I am but, you also sounded serious when you asked how long it was going to take so I’m just worried this isn’t going to be enough for you. Because even though I do like you and I care about you, I need you to slow down, okay?”

“Okay that’s fine, just tell me what you’re okay with.”

“Um well for now, I’m okay with kissing, he leaned forward and kissed her, holding hands and touching, he reached for her hand and smiled, but let’s keep it above the waist.”

“Got it, I can do that, he smiled and tilted her face to his, see that wasn’t scary, was it?”

It wasn’t but in the back of her mind Celeste was worried it still wouldn’t be enough for him, that she wouldn’t be enough for him.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Later on~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste snuck out of bed before the sun came up, which was right around the time Julien stumbled into the apartment.

“Ahhh, Julien shrieked, Jesus Celeste, why are you sitting in the dark like some creepy statue?”

Celeste shushed him and motioned for him to come closer,

“Be quiet, I don’t want to wake him up.” She whispered and looked down the hall.

Julien gasped and pointed behind him,

“Him, he plopped down next to Celeste on the couch, you mean Ian is here and he’s sleeping in your bed right now.” He whisper screamed and grabbed both of Celeste’s hands.

“Yes he is, but not if you don’t shut up.”

He nodded and leaned in,

“Okay, sorry I’m just so happy for you, he hugged her then pulled away, wait, so why are you out here then?”

She shrugged her shoulders and played with the fringe that was on the blanket across the back of the couch, “I don’t know, I just woke up and instead of going back to sleep like a normal person I just laid there, she sighed, then I started thinking and the more I did that the more anxious I felt.”

Julien grabbed her hands and titled his head down to look at her,

“Celeste, that is a totally normal reaction. You’re just going through what every person goes through when their experiencing their first relationship, it’s just happening to you a little later in life but it’s okay.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely, it’ kind of feels like being on a roller coaster, you’re excited for it to start then you wait in line for it happen and when it finally does your heart is pounding and you start to feel scared but then you’re excited and then your…is any of this making sense, it’s late and I may still be a little drunk.”

Celeste smiled and nodded,

“Yeah, I get it. You’re saying I should just enjoy the ride.”

“Yes, he shouted then lowered his voice, that is exactly what I’m saying.”

“Thanks Juju, I thought maybe it was just me and because of my, Celeste looked away, issues.”

“Nope, you’re totally fine, he kissed her forehead and ruffled up her hair, now go lay down with your boo.”

“Okay, I will, Celeste stood up and walked down the hall with Julien, good night.”

He blew her a kiss and went into his room.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next morning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I know you're awake. I saw you watching me sleep."

Celeste kept her eyes closed and pretended to snore. Ian wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. She scooted closer to him,

"How'd you sleep?" Celeste asked

"Better than I thought I would. How about you?" Ian ran her fingers through the front of her hair.

"Not great, Ian frowned; you snore like a hippo by the way.”

“I do not!” he shouted

Celeste nodded,

“Yeah you do, she moved the hair out of his face but it just went right back, but its okay cause you’re cute.”

“Oh, really, he nuzzled his face into her neck, is that why you got up in the middle of the night?” Ian wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her against him.

“Yeah about that, she looked down, I woke up and tried to go back to sleep but I couldn’t and I was feeling anxious and I didn’t want you to know.”

“Okay, he leaned in and kissed her, are you feeling okay now?”

“Yeah, I’m okay now but I’m starving.” She groaned

“Umm okay, wait right here,” he leaned in to kiss her again but stopped and jumped out of bed.

“Wait, where are you going?” Celeste whined and reached out to him.

He grabbed her hand, kissed it and yelled over his shoulder,

“I’ll be right back, don’t move.” He pointed at her and left the room.

Celeste sighed and laid back against the middle of her bed. A smile formed on her lips as she thought about last night. She didn’t need to tell Ian she liked him with her words, even though she did eventually, she just needed to show him. It wasn’t as scary as she thought it was going to be. She was on the exciting part of the roller coaster again. Just as Celeste was about to call out to Ian when she heard loud noises coming from the kitchen,

“What’s going on out there?” she sat up and yelled to Ian.

“Nothing, just stay there I’m almost done. Cover your eyes!”

“What, why?”

“I want it to be a surprise, he yelled back, are your eyes covered?”

“Yes!” She smiled to herself, grabbed her pillow and put it over her face.

“Okay, open them.” Ian stood there with a cup of coffee in one hand, a plate in the other and a fake flower in his mouth Celeste moved the pillow away and smiled,

“You made me breakfast?”

“Yeah, it’s not going to be nearly as good as yours was but, it’s the best I can come up with on short notice, he handed her the plate, stuck the flower behind her ear and sat down next to her, it’s an Ian original recipe, an egg cooked in the microwave to perfection, with cheese and bacon bits that I found way in the back of the cabinet that’s what took so long, seasoned with salt, paprika and oregano, between two waffles.”

“Who puts oregano and paprika on eggs?” Celeste opened the sandwich and looked over at Ian.

“A seven year old that could only reach those spices. I used to make these sandwiches for my sister a lot when we were younger.” Ian smiled to himself.

“Well it’s better than a Pop Tart, Celeste took a bite and slowly chewed, it’s actually not that bad.” She covered her hand over her mouth.

“Thanks, if you don’t want to eat the rest of it, I won’t be offended.”

“Are you burning something, Julien stuck his head in the doorway, oh hey Ian.”

Ian laughed and motioned to the food,

“Hey Julien sorry that was me burning one of the waffles, he smiled at Celeste, I scrapped off most of the burnt parts for you.”

“Awe that’s so sweet, Julien took the sandwich from the plate and took a bite, hmmm interesting. What’s that smoky taste?”

“Paprika, Celeste smiled and bumped her shoulder into Ian’s, it was very sweet of you, thank you, she kissed him on the cheek and looked up at Julien, you go ahead finish that, Julien nodded, in your room please.”

“Oh, Julien nodded and winked, right gotcha.” He took the plate and the rest of the sandwich with him.

Ian wrapped his arms around Celeste and pulled her down onto the bed,

After Julien left, Celeste and Ian migrated into the living room and spent the rest of the day on the couch.

“Truth or dare.” He asked her.

Celeste picked her head up off his shoulder and arched a brow at him,

“What are we 12?”

“Indulge me, I just watched 3 hours of a show about cleaning.”

“Hey, you were starting to get into it to don’t lie, he pouted like a toddler and nuzzled his face against hers, okay fine…truth.” She pushed him away.

“What did you really think of me when we first met in class?”

“You mean before you opened your mouth, he pushed Celeste away and grabbed a pillow to put in between them, I’m just kidding…sort of.” Celeste took the pillow away and grabbed his hands.

“Okay we’ll say before we spoke, just based off looks.”

“Well I thought you were attractive of course but a little arrogant you definitely knew it and I’m pretty sure the girl who sat next to you passed her number to you at some point.”

“She did.”

“Did you hook up with her?”

“Uh uh this isn’t 21 questions, it’s truth or dare and I pick dare.”

“Okay I dare you to tell me if you hooked up with that girl.”

He sighed and leaned his head back,

“We should have just kept watching that chick help people clean up their houses.”

“So that’s a yes, she grabbed the pillow and hit him with it, it’s okay it’s your turn to ask me.”

“Okay, truth or dare?” he leaned forward.

Celeste placed her finger against her lips and pursed them

“Hmm...Dare.”

Ian blinked several times and leaned back,

“I thought you were going to say truth.”

Celeste threw her hands up and sighed,

“Okay fine, I’ll pick truth.”

“Why did you get so upset when I called you star that one time?”

“Wow, Celeste leaned away from him, a dare would have been a lot easier.”

Ian took her hands and scooted closer,

“Does it have anything to do with why you’re so… cautious.”

“You can say virgin Ian, it’s not a big deal or I mean it wasn’t until now.”

“Celeste, I told you I don’t care about that, I just don’t wanna upset you like that again.”

“I know, I’m just, Celeste paused and looked over at him, someone that was a part of my life used to call me star as a nickname and I would rather not think about that person anymore, okay?”

“Okay, I’m sorry, I didn’t know and I won’t say it anymore, I promise I’ll call you something better, like snookums, he pulled her towards him, or pookie pie.”

She pushed him away as he nuzzled his face into hers,

“Gross, more like pukie pie, she reached up and moved hair away from his face, just call me by my name.”

“Which is what again?” he looked at her confused.

Celeste rolled her eyes and pushed her hand against his face when he tried to kiss her cheek. He grabbed her hand and kissed that instead,

“How about I call you mine?”

Celeste winced and closed her eyes,

“Oh my god, I hate that I find that cute.”

For dinner Celeste made a homemade pizza for her and Ian, they sat on the couch together and ate it while watching one of Ian’s favorite movies,

“I can’t believe you’ve never seen Garden State, he said with a mouthful of pizza, it’s your type of movie.”

“What do you mean my type of movie?”

A piece of tomato fell out of Ian’s mouth and onto his pants. Celeste chuckled and placed her plate on the table in front of them. He picked it up, set the rest of his pizza down and put his arm around Celeste,

“You know it’s very indie and artsy, you’ll see what I mean.” Ian grabbed the remote and clicked play.

Celeste kept getting distracted by Ian while she watched the movie. She looked up at him and saw him mouthing the words which made her smile. Celeste leaned over and kissed him at the same time the people in the movie kissed. Ian wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. God I wish we could just stay inside the apartment forever, Celeste thought to herself, what’s going to happen on Monday?

That thought made her sit up and lean away from Ian. He sat up and furrowed his brows,

“What’s wrong?”

Celeste pinched the bridge of her nose and looked over at him,

“I don’t want to ruin the mood but I think we should talk about what we’re going to do about, she pointed to herself then him, this on Monday when we go back to class.”

“What are you talking about, he tucked her hair behind her ear, we’re together now, right?” he sounded and looked genuinely worried.

Celeste nodded,

“Yeah, we are but, she looked down, I don’t know what that means exactly to you, Ian leaned away from her and sighed, I mean I know what it means when we’re here and alone but what about when you’re around your guys and I’m around the girls. I’m not trying to upset you I just genuinely don’t know how we do this when other people are around.”

“Okay, he nodded, I understand this new for you and I haven’t had a serious girlfriend in a long time so I guess it’s up to you, what do you want to do?”

“I guess for now, maybe we just keep this between us. I just want to spend time getting to know you without worrying about other people.”

“You mean like Erica?” Ian asked.

“Uhh, Celeste rocked back and forth, Erica kind of already knows.”

“Oh, Ian cleared his throat, and is she okay with it?”

“Yeah, actually she’s the one who told me you were at the club the other night. So you kind of have her to thank for that and you probably should because my plan was way worse.”

“What was your plan?”

“I was going to go to your house with a bunch of cookies and hang out there until you finally talked to me.”

“You baked those cookies for me?”

“I baked them as a way to distract myself, I was really worried about you. I saw the fight and how mad you were and then I heard you got arrested.”

“Yeah it was a lot, I just can’t control my temper sometimes, especially if someone is messing with people I care about. I’m sorry if it scared and I wish I could tell you it’s not going to happen again but it probably will, he reached for her hands, but I’ll try my best to not get arrested in the future unless it’s for something cool like freeing all of the animals from a zoo, Celeste smiled, or stealing the Mona Lisa so you can hang it in your room.”

“Great, now you’re making me an accessory to your crimes, did you get arrested because Tyrus pressed charges?”

Ian shifted uncomfortably,

“Uh no, they arrested me because, he looked over at her and smiled, of some unpaid speeding tickets I forgot about.”

“Oh, I just assumed it was because of the fight. Wait, why did Garret get arrested too?”

“He didn’t, he got a hold of my parents to bail me out.”

“How did they handle everything?”

“Well let’s just say I’m really hoping you let me spend the night here again tonight.” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her onto his lap. She reached for both of his hands and leaned her forehead against his,

“That bad huh, he nodded, okay you can stay here again but that doesn’t mean you’re going to living here yet.”

“Yet, Ian gasped and kissed her, you really like me don’t you.” He teased.

Celeste shoved him back and stuck her tongue out at him. She looked down at her hands and picked her nails,

“I do, she looked up at him, I was wrong about you and what I said the other day. You’re not like every other guy. I just, she bit on the inside of her cheek, have a lot of issues when it comes to trusting people, guys especially but, she put her hand against his cheek, I’m going to try not to project that on you, okay?”

“Okay, we’ll both try because that’s all we can do.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Celeste laid in bed with Ian. She stroked his hair while his head was in her lap. They talked about everything from their favorite kind of ice cream to why does Goofy get to walk like a human but Pluto doesn’t.

“I mean they’re both dogs so why is Goofy the only one who gets to speak and walk, Pluto deserves those rights too!” Ian yelled and flailed his arms.

“I don’t know you’re right it is messed up but, there are way more disturbing things about Disney.”

“Like what?”

“You besides the fact that they showed their movie characters dying in some really messed up ways. Did you know in Tarzan they show the shadow of a body hanging and Scar from the Lion King shows up in Hercules as a throw rug, Ian’s eyes widened, yeah I know it’s pretty messed up.”

“Can I just say how much I like just sitting here and talking with you, Celeste smiled, I mean have either of us even looked at our phones since Friday.”

Celeste shook her head,

“No, I haven’t and I haven’t wanted to either.”

“Same, he sat up and kissed her, I don’t want to go to class tomorrow, can’t we just stay here forever?” He ran his finger tips up and down her arm.

“Forever, he looked up and nodded, wow we spend one weekend together and suddenly were married.” Celeste laughed.

Ian got on one knee and took her hand,

“Celeste Annabelle Drummer, will you… stay here in bed with me, forever.”

Celeste laughed and shook her head. He gave Celeste a sad puppy dog look,

“As nice as that sounds, we need to get out of this bed soon and deal with the real world.”

He groaned and leaned over to give her a quick kiss,

“You’re right, he stroked her cheek, but not right now. right now let’s just forget about the real world. Let’s stay here in our world which is you, he kissed her, me and this bed.”


	43. Knowing Herself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste answers the girls finally and talks with Erica about the feelings she had for Ian. Celeste tries to separate how she feels about Ian while they're at the college but it's not as easy. 
> 
> **When I wrote this I really wanted to show how the tables seem to be turning because Celeste is the one pursuing Ian now and she's making the decisions. Also I had to add the infamous "boner scene" from Skam og**

Celeste walked Ian to the door and smiled up at him. He pouted and wrapped his arms around her,

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay? I can help you with your homework.”

“Sure cause that’s what we would end up doing, Celeste sighed and gave him a kiss, no you go ahead and head home.”

“Actually I might go to the gym with Stephen and Jay.”

Celeste gave him a confused look,

“Who’s Jay?”

“Just this guy that works out at the same gym as Stephen and I.”

“Okay well have fun, I’ll see you tomorrow, Celeste pulled him back by his shirt, remember we’re not telling anyone about this.”

Ian nodded,

“I know, I know it’s just going to be so hard to not just grab you and kiss you when I see you.”

Celeste pushed him away and held onto his hand,

“You’ll survive, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay, he kissed her hand then walked over to the door, see you.”

After Ian left Celeste answered her unanswered texts from the girls.

Celeste Drummer: Hey guys, sorry I went MIA over the weekend. I’ve been dealing with some stuff. Nothing to worry about and thanks for all the messages checking up on me. You guys are the best<3

Mina Saray: Glad to hear you’re doing okay! Love you too girl!!

Daisy Torres: We’re here for you girl!

Nehemie Cambre: I’m so glad we’re going back to class tomorrow! My cousins are driving me nuts lol

Daisy Torres: Girl I know! Ugh Celeste can I come live with you lol

Nehemie Cambre: Yeah me too!

Mina Saray: Can you picture us all living together, yikes! Lol

Daisy Torres: What do you mean yikes? That sounds awesome!

Celeste Drummer: I love you guys but that sounds like a bad sitcom lol. I mean I would watch it but I don’t know if I wanna live it.

Erica Wright: Hahaha I gotta agree with Celeste unless, we live in a mansion and have our own wings in the house.

Mina Saray: We better start playing the lottery then lol

Nehemie: True!

Daisy Torres: Or we can sell our organs on the black market…

Mina Saray: GIRL!! You are crazy lol

Celeste Drummer: I’m going to pass on that lol. I gotta go finish my homework for tomorrow <3

Mina Saray: Okay girl.

Daisy Torres: See ya later mama!

Nehemie Cambre: Good night love!

 

A few minutes later Erica messaged Celeste,

Erica Wright: Hey so how was your weekend? What happened with Ian?

Celeste Drummer: It was good…really good. We talked a lot and for now we’re kind of keeping this to ourselves. We just want to get to know each other without the opinions of others getting in the way.

Erica Wright: I totally understand that and don’t worry I won’t tell anyone.

Celeste Drummer: Thanks! And how about you? How are you doing?

Erica Wright: Good. We talked a lot too and we’re both coming around to the idea of telling people but were just not there yet. I think what scares us the most is the reaction of our parents. I mean my parents aren’t super religious or anything but they aren’t the most open minded people.

Celeste Drummer: Well it’s your choice on who you want to tell but you’ll always have me here to support you and I’m sure the other girls will feel the same way.

Erica Wright: Thanks Celeste. I really want to tell you more about her but I can’t, not yet. But you would really get along with her, she’s normally so soft spoken and shy but when you really get to know her she’s not like that at all. She has so many good ideas and all she wants to do in life is help people. And from the moment I saw her I just knew there was something there.

Celeste Drummer: Awww! I’m so happy for you! I can’t wait to meet her!

Erica Wright: Me too! Is that what it was like for you and Ian?

Celeste Drummer: Uhh it was a little bit different lol. It was very unexpected. I thought I knew exactly who he was because he acted exactly like the guys I grew up with. I think that’s why it took me so long to admit that I liked him, even when he was trying to prove himself to me. I still have worries but we talked about it and I’m going to try not to let my past get in the way of being with him. It just feels weird lol

Erica Wright: Why does it feel weird?

Celeste Drummer: Because I’m 23, experiencing my first relationship and it feels weird to be this giddy over a guy. I mean he just left a few hours ago and I miss him...who am I?

Erica Wright: Awww that’s so cute and so what if you’re older, at least it’s happening because you feel ready and not because you feel like you need to be with someone. I dated and hooked up with a lot guys, looking for that feeling I felt when I had my first kiss and I never found it. I thought if I just kept trying I would eventually find it and I didn’t until now.

Celeste Drummer: I’ve never felt like this before, ever. I never thought anyone could make me feel the way Ian does. I just hope I’m enough for him.

Erica Wright: You are more than enough Celeste.

Celeste Drummer: Thanks, it still feels weird talking to you about this. Are you sure it’s okay?

Erica Wright: It’s fineeeeee! Seriously I know it seemed like I was in love with Ian but that’s just because I got really good at pretending. I’ve had years of practice. Was he a dick to me a lot of the time, yeah but in all honesty I was just using him to try and find that feeling. He was my distraction from my true feelings and I was his distraction from you. I think we both knew it too.

Celeste Drummer: I feel bad for the way he treated you but, he does care. He asked me the day after his party if you were okay. He also knows that you know about us and he wanted to make sure you were okay with it.

Erica Wright: That’s nice of him and you can tell him that I’m 100% fine with you two being together as long as he promises to treat you good and make you happy.

Celeste Drummer: So far he has. Okay I gotta go finish the homework I neglected this weekend.

Erica Wright: SAME! Haha see you tomorrow <3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next morning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Celeste rushed out the door and sprinted down the stairs to make it to the bus stop on time. She reached into her bag to pull out her bus pass and heard a car beep from across the street. Celeste smiled and walked over to Ian’s car,

“Good morning, how’d you sleep?” he leaned his head out the window.

“I slept fine, she looked around and walked closer, what are you doing here?”

“Well I figured I could at least give you a ride…”

She sighed and shook her head,

“Ian, what did we talk about last night?”

He looked up like he was trying to remember,

“Um I don’t really remember anything except you leaning forward with your boobs pressed against me and…”

She reached into the window and pushed him,

“We said, we were going to keep this between us.”

He took her hand, brought it up to his lips and kissed it,

“I know but that doesn’t mean I can’t give you a ride and drop you off where no one can see us. Come ‘on, you don’t really want to take the bus, do you?”

She looked at him and his stupid sexy smile with his full pink lips and felt the rational part of her brain turn off. Celeste knew that if she got into the car with Ian there was a good chance they might not actually go to class.

Celeste gently pulled her hand away and sighed,

“Fine, but that’s it, she got into the car and looked over at him, no make out sessions in your car.”

“Well I can see where your mind is today.” He teased.

“I’m just setting some ground rules, no random hookups with other people too obviously.”

“Okay, but same goes for you too, Celeste laughed, don’t act like guys haven’t checked you out Celeste.”

“Oh please, I’m the one who should be worried about all of the groupies sliding into your DMs.”

“Are you jealous, he teased and poked her cheek, you are, aren’t you?”

Celeste pushed his hand away and crossed her arms over her chest,

“Shut up.” She looked out the window.  
Celeste stayed quiet despite Ian's attempts to get her to talk. He pulled into the parking garage, parked the car and turned towards her,

“Hey, he smoothed hair behind her ear, look at me.”

She sighed and turned toward him,

“What?” Celeste pursed her lips together to keep from smiling.

He took her hands, brought them up to his lips and kissed them,

“You have absolutely nothing to worry about, I don’t want anyone else, just you.”

Celeste didn’t know why it was such a turn on that Ian said that but it was. She reached for the collar of his shirt and pulled his lips to hers. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. His lips kissed along her jawline and down to her neck. Celeste leaned her head back and ran her fingers through his hair. She looked down and caught a glimpse of the time,

“Shit, she pushed him away, we’re going to be late for class.” Celeste reached down and grabbed her bag.

“Wait, he pulled her back and gave her another kiss, okay, I think I’m good until later.”

Celeste shook her head and got out of his car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ian sat down in the desk next to Celeste and scooted it closer. The sound of the metal legs scraping against the floor made every turn and look in their direction.

“Sorry.” He whispered.

The teacher went back to talking about their final assignment even though it wasn’t due for a while. She wanted everyone to have an idea of what they wanted to present. Celeste wrote down some ideas and tried to pay attention but Ian wasn’t making it easy. He looked over at her and made a kissy face. Celeste mouthed stop and bit on the edge of her pen.

Ian pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something down. He slid his paper to edge of his desk. Celeste leaned over and read what he wrote

You have to stop that

Celeste gave him a confused look and wrote on her paper,

Stop what

Ian nodded at the teacher and wrote something down like he was taking notes. He slid the paper towards Celeste,

Biting your pen like that. I can't stop looking at your lips

She shrugged her shoulders and mouthed sorry to him.

“Okay, I think it’s a good idea for everyone to partner up with someone and bounce ideas off each other. So do that now and then we’ll discuss the reading assignment for homework.”

Before Celeste could even ask, Ian pushed his desk right up against hers,

“So what’s your idea, partner?” he leaned in close and looked down at her lips.

“Well I have a few, he nodded, I was thinking about creating a feminist blog as it were if some of the writers were alive today. Like what would Simone de Beauvoir think about how we view sexuality today or what would Kate Chopin think about dating apps like Tinder. I think it would be cool to mix some modern and older views together.”

“Wow, that’s way better than my idea. I was just going to write about how feminism has evolved from a guy’s point of view.”

“I think that’s a cool idea too. I might have to re think my idea, it sounds a little ambitious.”

Ian looked around the room then put his hand over hers,

“I think you can handle it.”

Celeste was about to open her mouth to say something when the teacher stood up and clapped her hands together,

“Okay, I hope that helped now let’s discuss the reading assignment last night, so in chapter 14 Edna’s husband finds out that Edna did not come home. What is his reaction, Celeste raised her hand, Celeste?”

“He was a little worried at first but then he seemed pretty indifferent and not fazed by it which, just shows that he doesn’t really care about Edna the way Robert appears to.”

“Right, exactly he should be worried that his wife is with Robert but her safety isn’t that important. Now how does Edna feel about Robert and their relationship and what makes her come to this realization, Ian raised his hand, Ian?”

“Edna is starting to realize how special Robert is to her, Ian looked over at Celeste and smiled, when they spent that day together something changed for her and I think for him too.”

“Yes, it is very clear that their relationship is evolving and it’s changing Edna. She’s embracing this side of her that she had hidden for so long.”

Celeste thought about the lyrics Edna hummed to herself in the book as she left Robert,

“Oh, if you only knew….That is what is happening to her. She is beginning to know herself.”

It was one of the moments where life imitated art because while the teacher discussed Edna’s sexual awakening Celeste felt her own happening in the middle of class. She felt empowered because it was her choice and not her duty. Edna and Kate would have been proud of her as she pulled Ian into one of the empty classrooms to make out with him after class.

“Okay just so we’re clear, Ian pulled away, this is one hundred percent your idea. You didn’t all of a sudden get the power to read minds, did you?”

“No, why?” She asked.

“No reason.” He smirked.

Celeste wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and pulled him closer. He ran his hands up and down her back, pushing her against the wall. She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him like it was the only thing that mattered to her. She bit on his bottom lip and tugged on it. Ian smiled against her lips and grabbed a handful of her hair. Celeste felt his phone vibrate but she didn’t want to stop kissing or touching Ian long enough for him to answer it. He must have heard it to because he laughed and said,

“I should probably answer that but I really don’t want to stop kissing you”

“I really don’t want you to answer it either but, she sighed and ran her hands up and down his arms, maybe you should.”

Ian groaned and kissed her cheek,

“Okay fine, he pulled his phone out and sighed, it’s just Garret asking where I am.”

“Yeah I’m sure the girls are wondering where I’m at too, Celeste picked her book bag up, we should probably go.”

Ian put his arm out to stop Celeste from leaving,

“Um maybe we should just stand here for a few minutes and not touch each other or look at each other.”

Celeste laughed and leaned her back against the wall,

“Okay, why should we do that?”

Ian winced and tilted his head from side to side,

“Well I think it might be really bad if I leave right now, he looked down then up at Celeste who pursed her lips, so yeah.”

“Sorry, Celeste mumbled then looked over at him, what should I do?”

Ian shrugged his shoulders,

“I don’t know, uh do something to turn me off, Celeste bit her bottom lip without even realizing it, I said turn me off not make me harder, Jesus woman.” Ian laughed and leaned his forehead against the wall beside her.

While he wasn’t looking Celeste stuck her finger in her mouth and shoved it into Ian’s ear. He jumped back and rubbed his ear furiously,

“Did you just give me a wet willy?” Ian wiped his ear and looked over at Celeste.

“Yeah, I figured if I gave you a wet willy it would stop you from, she looked down, having a wet willy.” she teased him.

“Well it worked but now I wanna kiss you again, Celeste pulled him by his shirt and kissed him again, wait, he pulled away, this is going to make my problem come back and I really don’t want you to stick your finger in my ear again.”

“You’re right, she kissed his cheek, I’ll see you later.”

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/35/00/e7/3500e73a6397fe744549fa89dea44220.jpg  
OhhhStar17: Reading the book and understanding it are two different experiences


	44. Permanently Attached

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is getting suspicious of Celeste but she's still not ready to tell her friends about Ian. Celeste remembers something from her past that upsets her.

Celeste slipped into the classroom and sat down next to Mina as the teacher’s back was turned. Mina looked over at Celeste and whispered,

“Are you okay?”

Celeste pulled her stuff out of her bag and nodded,

“Yeah, I’m fine, why?”

“You look a little rough, Celeste’s eyes widened, I mean not rough but your hair is kind of all over the place and your face looks really red, even your lips.”

Celeste smoothed down her hair and wiped her mouth,

“Oh that’s just cause I put this tinted lip balm on when I was on the bus and it got everywhere, Mina nodded, and I guess I’m just having a bad hair day.” she chuckled to herself and looked away from Mina.

“Okay but it kind of looks like you just got done making out with someone for hours.” She laughed.

Celeste scoffed and laughed hard enough to snort which made every one turn and look at her. She lowered herself in her seat and pulled her phone out underneath her desk,

Celeste Drummer: You know, you could have told me that I look like I ate someone’s face before I left the room with you.

Ian Reyes: Maybe I did it on purpose, revenge for sticking your finger in my ear.

Celeste Drummer: Yeah well Mina is suspicious now. You didn’t say anything to Stephen, did you?

Ian Reyes: No I haven’t said anything.

Celeste Drummer: Okay well we have to be more careful and discreet.

Ian Reyes: Alright, but remember you’re the one that started it.

Celeste sighed and put her phone away. Ian was right she did start it and it took all the willpower she had to stop it, and also Ian’s phone going off. To her, it felt like every time she was alone with Ian that nothing else mattered. When he kissed her, any worries left her lips. When he touched her, it quieted everything around her. She could hear every time Ian inhaled between their kissing and the slight groan or sigh from her touch depending on where and how hard it was. Celeste’s smile faded as a thought, or more accurate a memory popped into her head,

“Do you want to feel how hard you’re making me?”

Celeste felt her entire body go numb as a single tear ran down her cheek.

“Celeste, Mina put her hand on her shoulder, you okay?”

Celeste nodded and swallowed the sick feeling she had,

“Yeah. I’m fine, Celeste stood up and grabbed her stuff, I’ll meet you in the cafeteria.”

Celeste sprinted to the bathroom and locked herself in a stall. She sat her bag down and leaned her back against the door.

Okay just do what Teresa said, Celeste thought to herself, ground yourself. She placed her palms flat against the door and felt the bumps in the paint. To her left someone drew a flower on the wall with a bent stem and torn leaves. Underneath it in cursive someone wrote,

“Not broken, just bent. Needs time to heal.”

Celeste breathed in the scent of the disinfectant and expelled her last bit of anxiety out of her mouth which tasted like the mint she had in class. After another deep breath she left the stall, washed her hands and left the bathroom.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In the cafeteria~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Celeste, hello, Celeste shook her head and looked over at Nehemie, where’s your head at girl?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“Nowhere in particular, she looked around the table and laughed, what I’m here, I swear.”

“Oh really, what were we talking about?” Daisy licked her spoon and pointed it at Celeste. She pushed Daisy’s hand away and leaned back,

“You were talking about how we should overthrow the patriarchy.”

Erica rolled her eyes and bumped her shoulder into Celeste’s,

“Actually they were talking about the exact opposite; they were talking about boys because apparently Daisy has been talking to some guy.”

“Yeah, but it’s not that serious, Daisy looked over Celeste’s shoulder and smiled, speaking of boys, yours is headed this way.” She winked.

Celeste whipped her head around and saw Stephen, Garret, Peter and Ian walk towards their table. Stephen leaned down and gave me a kiss on her cheek,

“Hey babe, how are you?”

As Mina and Stephen talked, Ian walked up to the table and said hi to everyone. He eyes settled on Celeste

“Hey Celeste.” He winked at her.

“Hey, she licked her lips and shook her head, I have to go to class, she turned to her friends, I’ll see you guys later.”

Ian brushed his hand against Celeste’s as she stood up to leave. As soon as she got out into the hallway she pulled out her phone and sent a text to Ian,

Celeste Drummer: Meet me outside the art room after my class

Ian Reyes: Okay :)

 

Ever since Ian “talked” to Jason, he hasn’t even looked at Celeste which made her wonder if he did something more than just talk to him.

“Okay class, so far we have used paint, photography/ film and now we will be using good ol’ fashion pencil and paper. We’ll be starting with a basic still life then we’ll draw another using light and shadow. So feel free to get up and find which display speaks to you.”

Celeste picked up her sketch pad and walked around the room.

“Hey Celeste, she turned and saw Zara, can we work on the same one together?”

Celeste nodded,

“Sure, that sounds cool. Which one speaks to you?” Celeste waved her hand around the room which made Zara laugh.

“It doesn’t really matter to me, she pointed to the table that no one picked, let’s sit here.”

Celeste sat down beside Zara and started to sketch the bowling pin in front of them,

“You know oddly enough this makes me want to go bowling.”

Zara made a face and moved her long dark to one side of her shoulder,

“Not me, the idea of wearing those shoes freaks me out.”

Celeste nodded and erased some of her drawing,

“Yeah, it is a little gross, she looked over at Zara’s and smiled, your bowling pin looks really good. The top of mine kind of looks like, Celeste looked over at Zara and laughed, well a little bit…”

“Phallic, Zara laughed, yeah just a little.”

Celeste sighed and shook her head,

“Maybe we should have picked the shoe box to draw, can’t turn that into a penis.”

Zara laughed and looked down at her paper,

“Hey Celeste, she looked over at Zara, thanks for being there, you know helping me with my post and everything.”

“It’s no problem, people really liked hearing about what it was like for you growing up with two parents who were Scientologists. It would be awesome if you wanted to do a follow up story.”

Zara nodded,

“Yeah, maybe. I was actually surprised there weren’t more negative comments. Usually people are pretty critical when it comes to Scientology.”

“People like to judge things they’ve never experienced or things they don’t know about.”

“You got that right.”

After everyone left the classroom Celeste waited outside for Ian. When she spotted him she grabbed his arm and dragged him into the art room. Ian laughed and looked around,

“Is this like your fantasy, making out in the art room?” he kissed Celeste and sat her down on the table.

The shock of his hands touching her bare skin brought Celeste out of her daze. She pushed him away and stood up,

“Wait, no I came in here to yell at you.”

“For what?”

“For earlier, you’re were all like hey Celeste and you winked at me. They’re gonna know!”

Ian laughed and grabbed her hands,

“You’re adorable when you worry.”

Celeste sighed and looked up at him,

“I’m being serious Ian.”

“I’m being serious too, he leaned forward and kissed her, you’re so adorable.”

“You’re like so infuriating, clenched her hands into fists, but I can’t stay mad at you for some reason.”

“Is it because you like me, Ian teased, or because I’m so gosh dang cute.”

Celeste groaned and leaned her head against his chest. Ian wrapped both of his arms around her and squeezed. She looked up at him and smiled,

“What are you doing to me?”

He laughed and kissed her forehead,

“What do you mean?”

She put her arms around him,

“I’m sneaking around between classes to make out with a boy, this is the plot to every young adult novel I read in middle school.”

“I was more of a Captain Underpants fan myself.”

“Of course you were.”

Ian kissed her, his hands pulled her closer. He slid his tongue into her mouth as her lips parted. Celeste grabbed a hold of the back of his shirt and twisted it in her hands. Ian pulled away and shook his head,

“Nope, don’t want to start that again right now, he sighed, you’re going to be late for class, he carefully wiped Celeste’s smudged lipstick off the corner of her mouth, there now you don’t look like you ate someone’s face,

She grabbed his hand and kissed it,

“Thank you for that.”

“So what are your plans for this weekend?”

“Well, you know the usual, do homework, maybe take a nice hot bubble bath with candles and music , Ian smirked and put his arms around her, or I’ll skip the bath and work on homework all weekend. Why do you ask? ”

“I was thinking maybe we could go out this weekend.”

Celeste’s eyes widened,

“You mean like a date, Ian nodded with a big grin on his face, okay, what did you have in mind?”

“Well, he wrapped her hair around his finger and let it fall, I was thinking we could go get something to eat and maybe go to a museum or play some miniature golf but, whatever you want is fine with me.”

Celeste leaned back and narrowed her eyes,

“A museum, Celeste laughed, I just can’t picture you being at a museum.”

Ian rolled his eyes and bumped his head lightly against hers,

“Hey, I’ve been to a museum before.”

Celeste shook her head,

“School trips don’t count.”

“Okay fine, I’m uncultured but that’s why I have you, he leaned in, you can educate me.”

“Okay, there’s actually a new Jackson Pollock exhibit where you can paint your own painting that I wanted to check out.”

“Sounds like fun, I’ll bring extra clothes. So can I give you a ride home?”

“Actually Nehemie is giving me a ride home and I’m going to help her finish writing her paper.”

“Okay, can I call you later?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“You can if you want to.”

“Of course I want to, why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know, I feel like you might get tired of me.” She laughed but her tone was serious.

“That won’t happen, Ian wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head, I would miss you way too much. If I could I would permanently attach myself to you so I would never have to miss you again.” He squeezed Celeste against him and rocked back and forth.

“That sounds like an absolute nightmare.” Celeste scrunched up her nose.

Ian mimicked her expression,

“Yeah right, you’d love it.”

A small kiss turned into Celeste pulling away several times but pulling Ian in for another kiss,

“Okay, she picked up her book bag and walked over to the door, I’m really going to go now.”

“Okay, Ian said sounding a little out of breath, I’ll talk to you later.” Celeste reached for the door handle sighed and turned around to kiss him again. Ian cradled her face in his hands and backed her up against the door. She pushed him back and shook her head,

“I mean it now, I’m going.” She turned her back to him and reached for the door.

“I’ll call you later, babe.”

Celeste laughed to herself then turned to Ian,

“I’m not your babe, Ivan.”

Ian smirked, walked right up to her and looked into her eyes,

He gently grabbed her chin and tilted her head up,

“Yes you are, he pressed his lips against her and spoke into her mouth, and don’t call me Ivan.”

Once Celeste left the room she thought about how a couple of months ago the thought of Ian or anyone touching her or kissing her made her feel ill. She wanted nothing more than to go unnoticed but Ian didn’t allow that. He saw her right away and even thought Celeste saw him too; she never thought something like this would happen between them. Some of the anxiety she felt earlier was still there but, it didn’t feel wrong or like she was in danger. She was in control of the situation, which made her smile to herself and walk a little taller to Nehemie’s car.

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	45. Girlfriend Material

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste has a talk with Nehemie but doesn't feel comfortable revealing who she's talking about yet. Ian gets worried that Celeste is having doubts because she hasn't told anyone about them yet. Celeste thinks more about the internship and gets caught with Ian by someone.
> 
> ***Sorry it's been a few days since I updated. I've had a pretty busy week and this weekend is going to be that way too. I might be able to post something on Saturday but Sunday I'm going to be in Cape May N.J for my birthday which is on Monday. Who knows, maybe getting out of the state for the day will inspire me. Hopefully everyone has a good weekend***

Nehemie kept looking over at Celeste in the car out of the corner of her eye. Celeste pretended not to notice until she gave in and said,

"Okay, are you going to keep giving me the side eye or are you going to ask me whatever it is you want to ask?"

Nehemie shrugged her shoulders,

"I'm not side eyeing you. I'm just wondering what put that smile on your face, she glanced over at Celeste, or who."

Celeste couldn't look guiltier if she tried but Nehemie, out of all the girls besides Erica, didn't have good things to say about Ian. She should have just told her but she didn't.

"Why can't I just be in a good mood? Does it have to be because of something or someone?"

"Okay fine keep your secret lover to yourself." Nehemie teased.

Celeste smiled to herself. Nehemie sometimes scared Celeste because she was so sure of who she was. There was a reason Nehemie was the mom of the group, she was the most confident in herself out of everyone.

"Hey Neh, can I ask you something kind of personal?"

Nehemie reached over to turn down the radio and nodded,

"Sure, you can ask me anything."

"Well I was just wondering what made you want to have sex? Was it an act of rebellion or did you really think about it for a while?"

“It was a little bit of both actually. It started out as a way to defy my parents and I guess my religion too. I just got so tired of all these rules, like why couldn’t I believe what I believe and also kiss a boy who was non-Muslim. As long as my heart is pure and I follow the basic principles, I’m okay with it. I don’t regret doing it but I do wish it was a decision I made more with my heart.”

“Have you ever been in love?” Celeste asked.

Nehemie shook her head and shifted in her seat,

“No but then again I haven’t really looked for it either. It wasn’t about finding love for me, it was just something I wanted to do. Have you ever been in love?”

“No I haven’t but I think I could be, someday.”

Nehemie clicked her tongue against her teeth,

“Girl, now I really want to know who this person is.” Nehemie grabbed Celeste’s shoulder and shook her.

Celeste sighed and leaned her head back,

“I know I just need a little more time before I tell everyone. It’s all new to me and I’m just trying to get used to it myself.”

“Okay, I won’t say anything because you do seem happier and that’s all that matters.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~At the apartment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nehemie and Celeste sat there stuff down at the kitchen table. Celeste went over to the fridge and grabbed the pitcher of watermelon lemonade she made the other day. She held it up and looked over to Nehemie,

“Do you want some watermelon lemonade?”

“Sure, oh by the way I’m eating the cookies you left on the table. I hope they weren’t meant for anyone.”

“No it’s fine, Celeste carried the glasses over to the table and sat down next to Nehemie, I stress baked them. To be honest I don’t even really like chocolate chip cookies.”

Nehemie took a bite and nodded,

“Yeah I can kind of taste a hint of anxiety in them, she clapped her hands together, okay here, she slid her laptop over, this is what I have so far and I noticed I’m starting to repeat myself.”

Celeste read the title of Nehemie’s out loud,

“The Medical Emergency in Venezuela; A Timeline, hmm okay so you’re doing an overview of the topic. So the first paragraph introduces your topic pretty well, your thesis is good, she scanned her paper, oh okay I see what you mean.”

While Celeste helped Nehemie finish her paper, Julien came home with Rinaldo. Julien beamed and brought Rinaldo over to the table,

“Hey girl, he motioned to Rinaldo, this is my boyfriend Rinaldo, he turned to Rinaldo, Rinaldo this is Nehemie.”

Celeste smiled at the way Julien’s face lit up when he said boyfriend. She knew Nehemie wouldn’t have the same reaction if she introduced Ian as her boyfriend. There was no cute story for Celeste to tell about how she and Ian met. Their actual first “date” ended abruptly when Ian left to go to Stephen after he got into the fight. To Celeste it didn’t really feel like they were together and she didn’t know when she would be able to call Ian her boyfriend.

 

After Nehemie left Celeste made her appointment with Teresa for Thursday then, she set up her canvas and put on “paint” clothes. She looked for her paint pallet in her closet but she couldn’t find it so she just used a paper plate. No matter how careful she was, Celeste always got paint on something other than her canvas. Her phone rang and cut into the music she had on coming through her speakers.

“Crap, she muttered to herself, wiped her hands off onto her pants and answered her phone, hello?” she sighed.

“Hey, is this a bad time?” Ian laughed.

“No not really just let me put you on speaker phone so I don’t get anything on my phone, Celeste clicked the button and sat her phone down on her dresser, okay, can you hear me?”

“Yup, soooo, he elongated the word, what are you up to?”

“Nothing much I’m just messing around with some paint. Nehemie left a little while ago and Julien is in his room with his boyfriend.”

“Uh oh, hopefully they’re not too loud with their naked yoga.”

“Yeah hopefully, what are you up to?” Celeste dipped her paint brush into some paint and let it drip onto the canvas.

“I am looking for a part time job because I cannot stand living with my parents anymore and I don’t want to keep crashing at Stephen’s house.”

“I didn’t realize everything was that bad at home.”

“Yeah it’s been that way for a while. I know part of it is my fault because of all the dumb stuff I did to piss them off but, he sighed, they’ll never see me as anything more than a screw up.” He said bitterly.

Part of conversation Celeste had with Stephen when he was in the hospital floated back into her mind. She didn’t think Ian’s parents could actually blame him for his sister’s death but maybe they blamed him for everything after.

“That’s not right, just because you've made mistakes doesn’t mean you’re a screw up. I hope you don’t see yourself that way, because I don’t see you like that.”

“How do you do that?” he laughed

“Do what?”

“Make me feel better; it’s like you knew exactly what I needed to hear.”

“I’ve had years of practice on myself, Celeste laughed to lighten the mood, sorry I didn’t mean for that to sound so depressing.”

“It’s okay, do you want to talk about it?”

“No, not right now, Celeste cleared off her brush and wiped off the sweat on her hands, let’s talk about this weekend.”

“Why, did you change your mind?”

“No, I didn’t change my mind, Celeste smiled to herself, I’m actually pretty excited. It'll be nice to go somewhere with you other than my bed, your car or any empty class room.”

“Well we could go other places if you tell everyone about us.”

Celeste nodded and sighed even though Ian couldn’t see it,

“I know, I’m just not there yet.”

“Okay, I get it your having doubts because of how I acted before and you feel like you can’t trust…”

“No, no I’m not having doubts about you, it’s me okay. I’m worried that once we tell people, everything becomes real, she paused and shook her head, not that it’s not real now but it’s official and I just don’t want you to be disappointed and feel like you have to be with me because…”

“Woah, okay just take a deep breath. It’s okay if you want to wait but why do you think I’m going to be disappointed? Do you know how happy you’ve made me in the last few days? I’ll tell you, really freaking happy and I can’t wait to take you out on Saturday, okay?”

“Okay, I’m going to go clean up. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay, do you want me to pick you up again? I promise I won’t make us late again.”

“Okay, fine. Good night.”

“Good night, have sweet dreams.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next day~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

The next morning Celeste walked out into the kitchen and stopped when she saw Julien and Rinaldo making breakfast. She watched Julien pass the eggs to Rinaldo and give him a kiss on the cheek. Rinaldo smiled and turned on the stove. Julien put his arms around Rinaldo’s waist and leaned his head on his shoulder. He whispered something in his ear that made Rinaldo laugh,

“I’ll make muffins next time, Rinaldo put his arms around Julien, my little Juju bean.”

A smile spread wide across her lips until she realized it was kind of creepy to watch her friends make out. She cleared her throat to let them know she was there,

“Oh, Julien jumped, hey I didn’t hear you get up.”

“Yeah I figured I would get up a little earlier and take a shower, she walked over to the stove, what’s for breakfast?”

“Just some eggs, nothing fancy. I can make you some if you want?” Rinaldo asked.

Celeste shook her head,

“No I’m okay. I’m going to go shower before Ian gets here.”

“Ooooohh, they both teased her, does this mean you guys are ready to go public?” Julien asked.

Celeste sighed and shook her head,

“No, not yet, Julien grabbed her shoulders, I know what you’re going to say because everyone keeps saying it just doesn’t feel right yet. I don’t know why but I feel like something needs to happen.”

Julien nodded and kissed her forehead,

“Okay, you know what it’s your life and your relationship. You can do whatever you want, he smacked her butt, now go get cute for your boyfriend.”

“Whatever you say, Juju bean.” She playfully pushed Julien away.

Celeste just finished pulling half of her hair back into a pony tail when Ian texted her,

Ian Reyes: I’m here and I’ve got something waiting for you.

Celeste Drummer: Is it a pony?

Ian Reyes: Nope, sorry they were all out of ponies.

Celeste Drummer: Ugh. Lame…be down in a minute.

 

“Good morning, he leaned over and kissed Celeste on her cheek, you look beautiful as always.”

Celeste rolled her eyes and shook her head,

“All I did was pull my hair back, she looked down at what she was wearing, nothing is really different.”

Ian narrowed his eyes and leaned towards her,

“You need to stop that.”

Celeste leaned away from him,

“Stop what?”

“Have you ever noticed that when I compliment you, you roll yours eyes or say something to deflect from it?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders and looked down at her hands,

“Sorry, I guess it’s just a habit.”

Ian reached out and tilted her face up,

“It’s okay, I’ll just have to keep on telling you how beautiful, he kissed her cheek, how wonderful, Celeste smiled as he kissed her other cheek, and how amazing I think you are until you believe it too.” He gently rubbed his thumb against her cheek.

“That might take a while.” Celeste said quietly.

Ian licked his lips and kissed her. Celeste felt her insecurity slowly fade away with each second his lips were against hers. She never liked compliments from anyone about her looks and Ian was right, it was a way for her to deflect and try to remove the attention from her. She didn’t know the difference between good attention from guys and bad attention, it was both bad.

“I’ve got time, he handed her a drink, I cheated a little and went through your Instagram to find out what your coffee order was. I hope I got it right.”

Celeste grabbed the drink and read the tag on it,

“An iced chai latte with soy milk, a shot of espresso and two pumps of vanilla, she nodded, wow I’m pretty impressed.”

“Well, I think a good boyfriend should know his girlfriend’s coffee order, right?”

It felt weird to hear Ian say that she was his girlfriend, not bad just weird. There was a disconnect between herself and that word that only she could hear. The last person to put her name in the same sentence as the word girlfriend begged her not to tell his girlfriend anything about what happened,

“Celeste, can you do me a favor and not tell my girlfriend about last night. I mean nothing really happened anyway so it would be good if you didn’t mention it to her or anyone.”

Celeste never answered him back and she never told anyone the full story, not after the way her friend Scott reacted,

“He’s like that with everyone, you shouldn’t take it so seriously Celeste.” Scott said as they sat on her front porch.

Celeste nodded and forced a smile,

“Sure, she nodded and reached for Ian's hand, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

When Celeste and Ian walked out of their class they ran into Erica who was waiting for the elevator,

“Hey, she smiled and looked over at Ian, how are you guys?” Erica leaned in.

Celeste laughed and looked over at Ian,

“We’re good, still kind of a secret though so…” Celeste put her finger up to her lips.

Erica nodded and looked around,

“Right gotcha well I’m going to head to class.”

“Didn’t your class just get over?”

Erica hit herself on her forehead,

“Right, yeah I mean I’m going to the library, sorry had a blonde moment. I’ll see you later.”

Ian looked over at Celeste and winced,

“Yeah that was kind of awkward, maybe I should have walked away and let you too talk.”

Celeste shook her head,

“No it’s not because of you, Ian tilted his head, it’s something else. I gotta go to Bio, she looked around and leaned in, I’ll see you later.”

He sighed and shook his head,

“You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you right now.” He groaned.

Celeste waited for the people getting out of the elevator to walk past, then she leaned in and whispered in Ian’s ear,

“Later.”

 

While Celeste took notes on her computer in her Bio class, an email notification popped up in the corner of her screen. It was from her teacher Ms. Anderson,

“Hi Celeste, just wanted to send you some more information about the internship in case you are interested.

It’s from June 21st until August 17th at the Brookemire building in Manhattan. The woman I know there her name is Sarah, she is the editor at the magazine and also one of the people who had a large part in starting it. I asked her to check out your blog, I hope that’s okay. As far as what you would be doing, it would some clerical things around the office but you will be working closely with Sarah and the other writers in her office. She’ll probably ask you to write something at some point for the magazine while you’re there. It would be a normal 9 till 5 job and at the end of it you could have the opportunity to join her writing team. I know she has some writers on her team that work from home most of the time so you would be able to work from here until you graduate or you can transfer to another college in New York. The possibilities are endless so I really hope you consider this.

If you have any questions let me know,

Ms. Anderson

Oh shit the blog, Celeste thought to herself, I need to make sure the outline is fixed. She opened her messenger and sent a message to the group,

Celeste Drummer: Hey! Does anyone have time to meet up after my class to fix the blog. It’s kind of urgent.

Mina Saray: Uh sorry I’m getting Chinese food with Stephen right after.

Erica Wright: I’ve got to pick up my brother from school, sorry.

Daisy Torres: I would but it’s my cousins birthday and I’m in charge of picking up all the balloons and stuff.

Nehemie Cambre: I got you girl. Meet me in the computer lab in the annex building.

Celeste Drummer: THANK YOU!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste ran across the campus and to the annex building after her Bio class. She still wasn’t sure if she wanted to do the internship but if she did decide to do it she wanted to make a good first impression for the editor. She opened the door and felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. It was a message from Ian,

Ian Reyes: Hey what are you up to?

Celeste Drummer: Hey! I'm about to head to the computer lab on the 5th floor of the annex building. I'm meeting Nehemie there to work on the blog.

Ian Reyes: Okay have fun. Text me after :)

Celeste Drummer: Okay :)

Celeste smiled to herself as she got on the elevator and stood in the back.

"Hold the elevator!"

Celeste looked up and saw Ian sprint towards the elevator. She shook her head as he got in and stood behind her.

"What are you doing?" She whispered over her shoulder.

He leaned in and whispered in her ear,

"I missed you, he ran his fingertips gently up her arm and leaned in, you did say later, remember.”

Celeste opened her mouth to say something but what came out sounded more like a moan. A guy with a man bun turned around and gave her a confused look,

"What?" She snapped which made the two other people look over at her too.

Behind her she heard Ian chuckle to himself. He leaned in and whispered in her ear,

"Sorry about that, I just can't help myself."

Someone else got off so it was just Celeste, Ian and man bun in the elevator. Ian moved up so he was standing right next to Celeste. She looked away from him and smiled,

"You’re such an ass." She mumbled

"Speaking of ass, he leaned back then leaned in, yours looks great in those jeans."

Celeste looked up and muttered,

"This is the longest elevator ride, ever."

As soon as the doors opened and man bun got off, she grabbed Ian by his jacket, looked down the hall to make sure no one was there and pushed him into the bathroom. Ian looked around and shrugged his shoulders,

"It's not the ideal make out spot but it'll do, he reached for Celeste but she turned away and stood in front of the mirror, what’s wrong?” he draped his arms around her.

Celeste turned around to face him,

“I just don’t feel good about sneaking around but I’m not ready to tell everyone about this, yet.”

“We’re not really sneaking around, he gently tucked her hair behind her ear, we are two consenting adults enjoying each other’s company.”

“That’s an interesting way to say that we’ve been making out everywhere like two hormonal teenagers.”

Ian smiled, lifted Celeste up and sat her down on the counter. He stood in front of her and gently took her face in his hands,

“We haven’t made out in here yet.”

She sighed and shook her head,

“You’re right, we haven’t, Celeste wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and leaned forward, maybe we should change that.”

He smiled and mumbled,

“Yeah I think we should.”

As soon as their lips touched any doubt or worry that Celeste had melted away. She ran her fingers through his hair and down his back as he leaned down and wrapped her leg around him, pushing Celeste up against the wall. It took a second for her to realize someone had walked in to the bathroom because all she could focus on was how good Ian’s lips felt against her skin.

“Ahem, Celeste pushed Ian back and looked over at the door, are y’all done cause I need to use the bathroom?” A girl checking herself out in the reflection of her phone said.

Celeste grabbed her book bag, mumbled sorry and pushed Ian out the door. As soon as they got out into the hall they both turned toward each other and laughed.

“I guess we’re not that sneaky.”

“Well at least it wasn’t Nehemie that caught us.”

“Speaking of her, I need to go, she turned towards him, I’ll see you later, Ian grabbed her hand and pulled her around the corner, I mean it I have to go.” She whined and looked up at him.

“I know just one more kiss.” He slowly leaned in until Celeste grabbed his face and pulled his lips to hers.

“Okay, she pushed him back, I really have to go now.”

He gently titled her face up to his,

“I’ll wait for you and give you a ride home.”

“Are you sure, it could be a while.”

He leaned in, kissed her cheek and whispered,

“You’re worth the wait.”  
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	46. Couples Goals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nehemie expresses some disappointment in Celeste and makes her opinion of Ian known. Celeste realizes her and Ian aren't that sneaky after all.

“Hey, sorry I’m late, I, Nehemie looked at Celeste and shook her head, what, what’s wrong?”

Nehemie stood up and grabbed her stuff,

“I saw you guys come out of the bathroom, not real classy Celeste.”

Celeste sighed and looked up at the ceiling,

“I know I just, she looked at Nehemie and shook her head, you know what I keep making up excuses for why I haven’t told everyone and the truth is that I’m scared. I’m worried about what people will say and I’m worried that I’m not meant to be with someone because of things that happened and I won’t realize it until it’s too late. It might be already too late.”

Nehemie put her arms around Celeste and hugged her,

“It’s okay to be scared but it’s not okay to lie to your friends, Nehemie pulled away, you know you can tell us anything right. We’re not going to judge you, we might tease you a little bit here and there, Celeste smiled and wiped tears out of her eyes, but you don't have to keep things from us, okay?”

“Okay and I swear I’m going to tell the others, very soon.”

“Tomorrow.”

Celeste winced,

“I actually wanted to wait until I’ve had therapy on Thursday to talk about some stuff and then I’ll tell everyone.”

“Okay, now let’s fix this blog and you can explain to me how this happened.”

Nehemie offered to give Celeste a ride home after they worked on the blog but, she told her that Ian was waiting for her in the parking lot,

“Good, Nehemie looped her arm through Celeste’s and walked with her, I’ve got some things to say to that fool.”

“Oh boy, I’m going to warn him, just in case.” Celeste pulled out her phone and texted Ian,

Celeste Drummer: Hey so…Nehemie saw us and were walking towards your car now

Ian Reyes: Uh oh, I’m guessing she didn’t react well.

Celeste Drummer: Uh not exactly but not as bad as I thought she would.

As Celeste and Nehemie approached Ian he was leaned up against his car and looked down at his phone. Nehemie walked over to him and motioned for Celeste to stay back,

“This is just something I need to say to him, you stay here.”

Celeste smiled meekly and took a few steps back,

“Okay, I’ll be here.”

Since they were a good distance away Celeste didn’t pick up much of the conversation. She watched Nehemie put her hand on her hip and shake her head a lot. Nehemie pointed to Ian then pointed to Celeste,

“You better.” Nehemie said and walked back over to Celeste.

“Are we good?” Celeste asked.

“Me and you yeah, Nehemie glared at Ian over her shoulder, me and him, I don’t know. I mean you obviously see him differently now but I still see the guy who made our best friend cry and toyed with her feelings. It’s going to take some time before everything is fine, she hugged Celeste and smiled, I’ll talk you later.”

As soon as Celeste got in the car with Ian she asked,

“What did Nehemie say to you?”

Ian shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked over at Celeste,

“She told me not to tell you, Celeste raised her eyebrows, what she kind of scares me, Celeste pouted and leaned in, really you’re going to do that, Celeste nodded, fine she pretty much told me that if I did to you what I did to Erica, she would remove something from my body that I care about but, not in those exact words.”

“Yikes, I’m sorry about that.”

He grabbed her hand and kissed it,

“It’s okay, I mean I kind of deserve it, I was an asshole. I guess it just means I have to win her over too.”

“Good luck with that.” Celeste laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Back at her apartment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“I really love this one, Ian stood in front of her painting from the other night, it’s so unique from anything I’ve ever seen.”

“Thanks, she walked up next to him, it’s this new technique I’m trying out where I paint a bunch of colors, wet the canvas and let it drip and blend together, Ian moved behind Celeste and started rubbing her shoulders and kissing her neck, oh god that feels good.”

“Have you ever tried painting on a person with something, he kissed her jawline, edible.”

Celeste laughed and looked over her shoulder,

“I know where you’re going with this and I’m actually okay with it.”

“Really?” he gave her a surprised look.

“Yeah, I mean I don’t want to go too rated R with it but, she leaned forward and looked up at him, there are some places I wouldn’t mind licking.”

Ian gulped exaggeratedly and took a step back,

“That is the hottest thing I’ve ever heard anyone say, he kissed her and took off his shirt in one swift movement, go see what you can find.”

Celeste stared at Ian’s naked torso, and then looked up at him. She laughed and ran out of the room. Celeste went to the fridge and moved some stuff around until she found a bottle of chocolate syrup and some whipped cream in the back. As a joke she grabbed a bottle of Italian dressing too. Celeste looked the cabinets for anything else when the front door opened,

“Hello?”

She whipped her head around and saw Mina standing there. Celeste put down the stuff on the counter behind her,

“Hey, sorry I didn’t hear you. I was looking for something.”

Mina walked into the kitchen and over to Celeste,

“Yeah I knocked but you didn’t answer so I just came in, Mina looked behind Celeste, what are you making?”

“Oh, Celeste shook her head and picked up the bottle of syrup, I’m not making anything I’m just getting rid of stuff that has gone bad. What’s up? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah I just…”

“Babe did you get lost or something, oh shit!” Ian skidded to a stop and looked over at Mina.

Mina gasped, looked at Celeste then looked at Ian. Celeste winced and looked over at Mina,

“Umm I can explain, she looked over at Ian who shrugged his shoulders, oh shit I can’t come up with anything good so here’s the truth. Ian and I are together.” She looked over at Ian who was smiling.

Mina laughed and shook her head,

“Yeah I kind of had a feeling something was going on here and when you came into class late the other day, you had “I just made out ferociously with someone” hair and makeup not “I just woke up late”. I was going to say something but I didn’t.”

Celeste sighed and put down the chocolate syrup,

“Yeah we’re not exactly good at this, sneaking around thing.”

Ian slowly backed away and motioned over his shoulder,

“I’m going to go, he looked down, put a shirt on and make this less weird.”

“Good idea.”

 

“So when did this all happen?

“Well we went on a date about a month, Celeste looked over at Ian with wide eyes and shook her head, oh right…sorry.”

“It was you, Mina shouted, you’re the one Ian was with when Stephen got beat up!”

“Yeah but we weren’t really interested in each other then.”

“Well she wasn’t into me but I was into her.”

Celeste glared at Ian who smiled at her and reached for her hand. She laughed and shrugged her shoulders,

“It just sort of happened and, she looked over at Ian, after that night I just couldn’t stop thinking about him.”

“Awww, really?” Ian asked.

Mina laughed and shook her head,

“Okay, so why are you guys still keeping it a secret. Is it because of Erica?”

Celeste shook her head,

“Uh no she already knows. Look I’ve never done the whole, “Hey here’s my boyfriend and oh by the way it’s Ian” thing before. I’m still getting used to it.”

“Okay, I get that but, to be honest I think everyone already knows.” Mina shrugged her shoulders

“Really, she looked over at Ian, you think everyone knows?”

Mina nodded and pointed to them,

“You guys have been flirting with each other before you could even admit it.”

Ian nodded and leaned over,

“I told you so.”

She pushed him away and looked over at Mina,

“I still think I’m going to tell everyone tomorrow.”

“You are?” Ian asked.

Celeste nodded,

“Yeah, I just don’t want to lie about this anymore and even if they know, they should hear it from me.”

“Okay well I’m going to go, Mina stood, you guys can go back to whatever you were doing.”

“I’ll walk you out.” Celeste got up and followed Mina.

 

“So how pissed are you that I kept this a secret?”

“I’m not pissed Celeste, I mean I am a little mad that you didn’t tell me because I feel like I can tell you everything but, I’m happy as long as you are.”

“I am, Celeste leaned her head against the wall, it’s weird but I feel like this was supposed to happen.”

“Awww look at you girl, Mina hugged her, I’m glad and like I said don’t worry about telling the others. If anyone is going to give you shit, it’s going to be Nehemie.”

“Yeah about that, Celeste winced, she kind of already knows too.”

“What, Mina shouted, Nehemie knows and so does Erica. Does Daisy know too?”

Celeste shook her head,

“No, Daisy’s been too worried about her mystery guy but I’ll tell her tomorrow.”

“Okay girl I’m going to go. You have fun with whatever freaky nasty shit y’all were about to do.”

Celeste rolled her eyes and smiled,

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

Celeste and Ian just ended up hanging out on the couch in the living room and watching Master Chef instead of their original plan.

“Oh come on, you can’t cook risotto for that long! It’s going to be a pot of sticky mush, Ian looked over at Celeste and laughed, what's so funny?” she cocked her head to the side and leaned away from him.

“You watch food shows like guys watch sports, it’s kind of adorable. Instead of a foam finger you could wave a foam spatula.” Ian waved his hand in front of Celeste.  
She laughed, pushed his hand away and laid her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. 

“You know I’m actually glad Mina came here tonight and caught us. Now you can tell Stephen and the other guys about us too.” Celeste changed the channel on the T.V. to some comedy sitcom. 

“Yeah about that, she looked up at Ian, are you sure you want to tell everyone about us?” he put emphasis on the word everyone.

“Yeah, Celeste gave him a confused look, isn’t that what you wanted too or are you ashamed to tell people you’re with me?” Celeste lifted her head from his shoulder and placed the remote down next to her.

“No, not really, Celeste leaned away from him, that’s not what I meant. I’m not ashamed to be with you I’m just worried it’s going to change things.” Ian rubbed the back of his neck and avoided Celeste's gaze.

“You were the one that’s been asking me to do this and now you don’t want too?”

Ian shook his head and laughed,

“No, you’re right, I’m sorry that was dumb. Of course I want people to know about us.” He leaned over to kiss her but Celeste stood up.

“Do you want to keep this thing a secret between us because it feels like you’re getting away with something?”

Ian shook his head and stood up,

“No absolutely not. I mean sneaking off to make out in my car or in the art room is fun but…”

“Ian, pick your next words very carefully.” Celeste warned and held up a finger.

“I’m sorry. I guess I’m worried too. I want to be with you but I don’t want it change, he motioned between them, this. I don’t want anything ruining what we have.”

“I don’t want that either look I’m not saying we have to go in tomorrow and confess our admiration for each other in front of the entire cafeteria and make a big spectacle about it. I just want my friends to know, you can tell your friends whenever you’re ready.”

“Okay, your right. I don’t want to make any drama between you and your friends. I mean Mina handled it pretty well.”

“Mina kind of had her suspicions already. I think she was just upset that I didn’t tell her because I’m closer to her than the others.”

“Why didn’t you tell her?” Ian sat down

Celeste sighed and sat down next to him,

“I don’t know, I think I was still admitting it to myself. I haven’t felt anything for anyone in a very long time and I was starting to think there was something wrong with me, Celeste sniffled, and that maybe, Ian put his hand on her shoulder, I didn’t deserve to be happy with someone.” Celeste blinked away her tears.

“No, that’s not true. You deserve to be happy and I’m glad I’m the person you chose to be happy with, Ian bumped his forehead into hers, that makes me very happy.”

Celeste shoved him away and laughed,

“You’re such a dork.”

“You love it!” he leaned in and kissed her.

She shook her head and pushed him away,

“I only tolerate it because you’re cute.” She smoothed his hair back.

“Oh really, he moved her leg so that he was sitting in between them, are you sure that’s the only reason?” He leaned in, his lips almost touched Celeste’s.

Celeste leaned forward at the same time Ian leaned back. She scoffed and laid back down,

“Fine, we can play that game but, Celeste pursed her lips together and looked up at him, I was going to ask you if you wanted to sleep here, but I guess…” Ian lifted her head up and kissed her.

“Yes, my name answer is yes.”

Celeste felt her cheeks flush,

“But only to sleep, just so we’re clear.”

“Celeste, Ian gently traced his finger down her cheek and kissed her, you don’t have to keep saying that. I’m not going to do anything that you don’t want to do, okay?”

She nodded, wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her.

"Hello, Julien came in through the door, the queen is home!" he shouted and laid his stuff down on the table.

Celeste pushed Ian away and fixed her clothes,

"Don't start calling yourself the queen, you'll offend a whole country." She rubbed the back of her neck and looked over at Ian.

Ian ran his fingers through his hair and smiled at Julien. Julien looked behind him and pointed to the kitchen,

"Are you guys making sundaes?"

Ian put his hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing. Celeste groaned, put her hands over her face and laid back against the couch.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later on~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Ian looked down at Celeste. She picked her head off his chest and scooted up so that they were eye level with each other.

"Sure, she gently touched his lips with her fingertips, I can't tell if you want to ask me something bad or good."

"It's a good thing, I think, we never really talked about Stephen asking you to keep an eye on me and i was just wondering if you only did it because you felt bad."

Celeste sighed and leaned her chin on Ian's shoulder,

"No, he smiled, that's just what I told myself because when I first met you, Celeste looked away, you reminded of someone I once knew."

"You mean the guy who called you star?"

Celeste's entire body stiffened,

"Yeah, him, Ian reached out and wiped a tear from her cheek, but then I realized your nothing like him."

"Look, I don't know what this guy did to you, Celeste looked away, and you don't have to talk about it or tell me but, I promise I won't ever hurt you or let anyone hurt you and if you want me to, Ian smirked, I have no problem finding this guy and kicking his ass for you or running him over with a steam roller, Celeste laughed, or dropping an anvil on his head..."

She put her hand over his mouth to be stop him from talking,

"Where are you going to get a steam roller and an anvil? Are you shopping at the Acme store in Looney Tunes."

Ian laughed but then his expression hardened. He took Celeste's hands in his and kissed them,

"No bullshit, I won't let anyone hurt you, ever." He said with his jaw clenched.

The pessimistic side of Celeste wanted to tell Ian he couldn't guarantee that, no one could. Celeste never predicted that worst thing to happen to her the night her mother pushed her and made her hit her head wasn't cleaning up the blood from the floor. It came later that night when she invited him into her window.

She just nodded, laid her head on his chest and listened to the sound of his heart beat as she fell asleep.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next morning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day Celeste felt exhausted even though she slept pretty good next to Ian who hogged the covers all night. It was her mind that felt tired. There was something weighing her down and it had been for a long time.

Ian must have sensed it too because he looked over at Celeste in the car several times on their way to the college.

"You okay?" He asked once he parked his car.

She ran her fingers through her hair and turned towards him,

"Yeah, I'm just thinking."

"You thinking about what you're going to tell the girls?"

Up until Ian mentioned it Celeste wasn't thinking about that. From what Mina said, it sounded like their secret wasn't that secretive. It should have made her feel better but it didn't. Her friends should have found out from her. The only one who heard it from Celeste was Erica and that was only because Erica confessed something to her first.

"Uh no, something else, he glanced over at her, it's nothing bad. I just feel drained for some reason and the day hasn't even began."

"You know what would help with that, Celeste shook her head, some ice cream, he reached over and tucked her hair behind her ear, and maybe a nice massage after our classes are over. How does that sound?" He leaned in and kissed right next to her ear.

She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck,

"It sounds amazing but I have an appointment right after so I have to get the bus so I can make it on time."

"I can give you a ride..."

"No, Celeste jumped in, it's okay you don't have to. I should use my bus pass since I paid for it. Besides, I don't want you to think I'm using you as my own personal cab."

"Okay, you sure it's not cause you're sick of me already?"

"I'm not sick of you, she leaned her forehead against his, I'm sick of you hogging my damn covers though."

He leaned back and laughed,

“I’m sorry but I can’t help it. Your covers are so soft, he smiled and kissed her, and they smell like you.”

Celeste leaned away and stuck her nose up.

“I’m not going to lie, the smelling thing is a little weird.”

Ian rolled his eyes and shook his head. He playfully pushed Celeste away and looked over at her. Celeste sent a text to the group chat,

Celeste Drummer: Hey guys, can we meet before my first class. Got something I want to tell you.

Mina Saray: Yeah, walking in now.

Nehemie: Mhhm I’m here in the caféteria with Daisy and Erica already.

Celeste Drummer: Cool be there soon.

“Who are you texting, Ian leaned over, you’re other boyfriend?” Ian teased.

“Yeah, one of them, Ian scoffed and leaned back, I’m asking the girls to meet me in the caféteria so I can tell them.”

“Oh, he sat up straighter, do you want me to come with you, Ian shook his head and laughed, actually that sounded like a bad idea in my head. I don’t know why I said it.”

“You seem more nervous than I am.” Celeste leaned over and moved the hair away from Ian’s face.

“I’m not really nervous, I’m just worried about what’s going to happen after. I like when it’s just us, he kissed her cheek, you’re more relaxed and I like seeing you that way.”

“I am more relaxed when I’m around you. You’re different too when it’s just us.”

“How so?”

“Well you’re more real, Ian raised his eyebrows, wait no that’s not the right words, Celeste shook her head, you kind of have this mask where you come off as cocky and kind of arrogant.” Celeste winced.

“I do, Celeste nodded, I mean I know I was that way when we first met but I thought I had gotten better.” He said with emphasis on thought and a slight sadness in his voice.

“You have, Celeste grabbed his hands, you’re so much better but, there are moments when it feels like you’re showing off.”

Ian nodded and took in the information Celeste told him. He didn’t look angry or sad by what Celeste told him but she still held her breath until he spoke.

“Okay, he smiled and took her face into his hands, I’ll try not to act that way, if you do something for me.”

Celeste squinted and pursed her lips,

“It’s not something that’s going to make me late for class, is it?”

Ian smiled and gave her a quick kiss,

“No, not this time, he let go of her face and grabbed her hands instead, I want you to tell me if I ever do anything that makes you uncomfortable or upsets you. I don’t want you to be scared or worried about how I’ll react. Don’t stop calling me out on my bullshit just because we’re together now, okay?”

Celeste liked hearing “we” and that they were together. She never cared about labels or saw the appeal of posting pictures with the caption “me and bae” or some other term of endearment. It just wasn’t who she was or thought she would ever be but, hearing Ian say they’re together and that he’s her boyfriend made her smile on the inside as well as the outside. Celeste just hoped that she would be able to act like Ian’s girlfriend when they were together in public.

"Okay." She smiled and gave him one last kiss before she go out of his car.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/39/b1/4d/39b14dbc40540e9f937d99716e9de7d8.jpg  
OhhhStar17: Lost in the galaxy, be back later.


	47. One On One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste tells everyone something that they already knew and sets some ground rules with Ian. In therapy, Teresa tries to get Celeste to talk about what happened. Ian invites Celeste to stay the weekend at his place. 
> 
>  
> 
> **Trigger Warning**  
> There's some mention of sexual assault but not in too many details. I always put the warning because you never know what could trigger someone.

Celeste walked into the cafeteria and spotted her friends sitting at their usual table. She sat down between Erica and Mina.

“Hey girl, you’re looking cute this morning.” Mina bumped her shoulder into Celeste’s

“Thanks, Celeste looked around the table and took a sip from her water bottle, so I need to tell you all something, Celeste looked over at Mina, even though I’m pretty sure you all know this but uh, Ian and I are together. We are dating and I’m sorry for not telling you guys sooner. I was afraid of what you would say.” Celeste looked at her hands and peeled the label off her water bottle.

“Celeste I know, she looked up at Daisy, I’ve known for about a week.”

“Oh, um how did you…”

“I saw you guys making in the art room.”

“Oh okay so you all knew about it, they all nodded, are you guys okay with this?”

“We can’t help who we like Celeste.” Erica looked over her shoulder then quickly looked back at Celeste.

“I do think you would look better with someone that’s got some color, Celeste looked over at Nehemie and rolled her eyes, but that’s just my opinion.”

“Thanks, Celeste laughed, I was so scared that you guys would hate me because you know it’s Ian and he’s…difficult.”

“Look, Daisy leaned closer, like Erica said you can’t help who you like and who you have feelings for. Were you’re friends Celeste, we could never hate you for anything. You’re stuck with us chica.”

“Yeah, just don’t forget about us now that you have a boyfriend.” Mina teased and grabbed onto Celeste’s shoulder.

“Oh god, Celeste laughed, I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to hearing that. I mean I have a, all of the girls leaned in, boyfriend.” Celeste let out a sigh.

“Yes, Mina clapped, she said it.”

“So, Daisy leaned in, how the hell did this happen cause I thought you hated Ian?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders and laughed,

“Honestly, I didn’t really hate him. I hated who he represented, Celeste looked over at Nehemie, I’m not going to defend him for what he’s done and you guys can have whatever opinion you want but I’ll just say that there’s more to him.”

Nehemie’s face softened and her lips curved into a smile. Celeste felt herself relax and smiled to herself. When Celeste got up to go to class, Nehemie stood along with her,

“I’ll walk with you.”

“Okay, Celeste waved to the rest of the girls, I’ll see you guys later.”

“So, Nehemie re wrapped her hijab, I just want to say I’m sorry for what I said about you not being classy. I said your friends wouldn’t judge you and I did. I guess I was just surprised because you and I always had the same feelings when it came to relationships and now you’re in one and I just feel like I’m the odd one out now.”

“Trust me I’m just as surprised as you are and even though I’m technically in a relationship I have no idea what I’m doing, Celeste leaned in, I mean I cuddle with Ian, me cuddling. It’s the last thing in the world I thought I would want.”

Nehemie laughed and hugged Celeste,

“There’s my girl, okay I’m going to go ace my vocab test. I’ll see you later.”

Celeste got to class just as it started. There was a coffee cup sitting on her desk. She sat down and looked over at Ian. He smiled and drank from his own cup. Celeste opened her laptop and sent Ian a message,

Celeste Drummer: Thank you for the coffee, I really needed it.

Ian Reyes: Anytime :) Sooo how did it go?

Celeste Drummer: It went good because everyone pretty much already knew.

Ian Reyes: So I guess that means no more making out in empty classrooms :(

Celeste rolled her eyes and looked over at him,

Celeste Drummer: No, it means we don’t have to but since I’m not all about PDA, it’s definitely still an option.

Ian Reyes: When you say no PDA, what exactly are we talking about?

Celeste Drummer: I mean I don’t want to be that couple that makes out constantly when they’re together. Which is okay because you haven’t told anyone about us yet, right?

Ian Reyes: No one except Stephen and I didn’t really tell him he just figured it out. We can just hold hands and stuff like that until you feel comfortable.

Celeste Drummer: Okay and you can hold my books and walk me to class. Jesus this sounds like a Sweet Valley high book.

Ian Reyes: Yeah a little bit. Wanna share a soda pop with me in the cafeteria after class?

Celeste Drummer: Haha smart ass and yes I do

Ian Reyes: :)

 

No one really looked at Celeste differently as she walked down the hall holding hands with Ian but when they walked into the cafeteria people definitely noticed. Celeste scanned the cafeteria and saw Mina sitting with Stephen. She practically sprinted over to their table and sat down. Ian sat down next to her and leaned in,

“You okay?”

She nodded,

“Yeah, I’m fine it’s just me being paranoid.”

He put his hand on hers underneath the table and lightly massaged his thumb across the top of her hand. His little hidden gesture made Celeste feel relaxed until Mina suggested,

“Oh my god, we should go on a double date together this weekend!”

Ian laughed and rubbed the back of his neck,

“Actually, Celeste and I already have plans, he looked over at her and smiled, we’re going to a museum.”

Stephen laughed out loud then stopped abruptly when Mina glared at him,

“Sorry, I just can’t picture you spending time at a museum.” Stephen shrugged and put his arm around Mina.

“Well I think it sounds cute, Mina playfully elbowed Stephen, don’t listen to him.”

“I never do, Ian winked and looked over at Celeste, I’m excited to finally take you out.”

Celeste looked away from him and felt her cheeks flush,

“I’m excited too, she looked over at Mina and Stephen who had giant grins on their faces, okay let’s head to class before you two start planning our wedding.”

Ian reached for Celeste’s hand and kissed,

“I’ve already got that planned babe.”

She laughed and pulled her hand away,

“I’ll talk to you later.

Mina stood up, gave Stephen a kiss and followed Celeste to class.

Since Mina knew about Celeste’s therapy sessions she offered to give her a ride after class so that they could talk more because Mina had a lot of questions,

“Is Ian a good kisser cause sometimes white boys use way too much tongue, like there trying to lick a plate clean.” Mina demonstrated.

Celeste stuck her nose up and shook her head,

“Eww no, Ian doesn’t kiss like that. I mean I don’t really have much to compare it to but yeah he’s a good kisser I guess.” Celeste hid her face in her hands.

“What about his arms? Stephen has amazing arms and I don’t usually like guys that are super muscular but he is definitely the most “fit” out of all of my boyfriends.”

“His arms are nice, Celeste smiled to herself, really nice.”

Mina pulled into the parking lot and put her car in park,

“Does Ian know about you going to therapy?”

Celeste shook her head,

“No I haven’t told him yet, she looked down at her hands, I just don’t want him to worry about me. I mean he knows that I’m not ready to be fully physical with him and he understands but I haven’t told him or anyone why. I haven’t even really talk about it in therapy.”

“Well I’m not trying to force you but if you ever want to talk about it, Mina let the sentence hang, I’m here.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind. I’ll talk to you later.” She hugged her and got out of the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In therapy~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So it’s been a little while since we last met.” Teresa sat down across from Celeste with the clipboard in her hand.

“Yeah, I had some stuff going on.” Celeste picked at her cuticles then stopped and sat on her hands.

“That’s okay, we had kind of an intense session last time. So what’s been going on?”

“I told Ian I liked him, I kissed him and now we’re dating.”

“Wow, Teresa sat back, that’s a lot to handle all at once. How do you feel about it?”

“Surprisingly I feel okay, I mean there’s been some moments where I feel anxious but we’ve talked and he’s being really considerate and sweet. At first we were keeping it a secret, well trying to but, everyone already knew.”

“That’s great to hear Celeste. You not only acknowledged your feelings for Ian but you acted on them which is something that you’ve struggled with a lot. That takes a lot of courage and bravery.”

“Thanks, I don’t really see it that way though, plenty of people decide to date someone.”

“That’s true but a lot of people let their trauma dictate the rest of their relationships and you’re not.”

“Speaking of that trauma, I’m worried about what’ll happen once I tell Ian what exactly happened.”

“Well I think if you talk about it in here first, it won’t have that much power over you whenever you do decide to tell him. What is the worst thing you can think of?”

“That he’ll decide I’m not worth the trouble and leave me.”

“Okay and what’s the best case scenario?”

“He’ll believe me and it won’t change anything between us.”

“So given what you’ve told me and what you know about Ian, what do you think his reaction will be, more towards you best case scenario or worse?”

“I don’t know, I guess the best case scenario but I still think it’ll change things between us.”

“It probably will but it’ll also be a good thing. I think it’ll bring you guys closer together but you have to do it only when you feel ready.”

“I don’t even know where to start, Celeste looked over at Teresa, I’ve never told anyone everything that happened. I’ve never even said it to myself.”

“You could start by talking about Josh. Just what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of him? How does thinking about him make you feel?”

“He was my friend and when I think about that it makes me hate myself. It makes me question myself and I’m mad at myself for putting up with his crap for so long when I knew how he was.”

“But like you said, he was your friend and I think maybe you were hoping he would change or get better because that’s what we do. We forgive more from people we call our friends because we want them in our lives. Deciding to stay friends with Josh isn’t the reason for your trauma, he’s the reason. It was his doing.”

“I let him in my window that night.”

“Because he was your friend and he saw that you were upset. He took advantage of that. He used your friendship as an excuse multiple times to get closer to you than you wanted him to. That is not your fault, Teresa softened her expression, talking about what happened is going to take a while but talking about the way it makes you feel will help too.”

“I told you, it makes me hate myself because I was dumb enough…”

“No, just use emotion words, I feel angry because…”

“Because he was my friend and I trusted him.”

“Good, whatever you feel is completely valid, Teresa wrote something down and looked up at Celeste, I have some homework for you. I want you to write a letter to Josh.”

“Saying what?”

“Whatever you want. Write about how he made you feel or how much better you are without him in your life or maybe how toxic his friendship was. You can even write about good memories you have with him. Just fill a page back and front with whatever you want and bring it with you to your next session, okay?”

Celeste nodded and stood up to leave,

“Okay, she picked up her book bag, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course you can.”

“Do you think it’s possible for me to be in a relationship?”

“Yes, absolutely one hundred percent. You deserve to be happy Celeste and I think Ian makes you happy, am I right?”

Celeste smiled and nodded,

“Yeah he does.”

Teresa put her hand on Celeste’s shoulder,

“Then that’s all that matters.”

 

Celeste didn’t ask Mina to give her a ride home so she had to take the bus which gave her time to think about the letter she was supposed to write. What did I want to say to Josh, Celeste thought to herself, besides a bunch of obscenities I never really thought about what I would say if I came face to face with him again. She was so deep in thought that she nearly missed her stop. As she walked up to the apartment her phone vibrated in her pocket,

“Hello?”

“Hey, how was your appointment?”

“Good, I’m 100 percent fertile so that’s nice to know.”

“Yeah that’s good information to know since I want to have at least 5 kids.”

Celeste dropped her keys and bent down to pick them up,

“That’s a joke right?”

“Yes it’s a joke, Celeste let out a sigh of relief, I only want two, a boy and a girl.”

Celeste laughed and opened the door,

“I don’t think you get to pick. No joke this girl I went to high school with had triplets in the 10th grade and she got pregnant again.”

“Have you ever really thought about having kids?”

Celeste laid her stuff down and slipped her shoes off by the door,

“Uh not really. I guess I figured I would eventually but, I never really had friends who were girls growing up. I didn’t play house, I learned how to throw a perfect spiral and make free throw shots.”

“Okay future date idea, one on one basketball, loser buys dinner.”

“Alright, I guess I’ll just leave my wallet at home then.”

“Wow okay someone is cocky, Ian groaned, I shouldn’t have stayed at the gym that long.”

“How long were you there?”

“Well I usually go for an hour to an hour and a half but Jay was there and we ended up doing a push up contest between me, him and Garret. I won but my arms are killing me.”

“Ahh see showing off isn’t always a good thing, just do me a favor and don’t hurt yourself.”

“How else am I supposed to prove my masculinity?”

Celeste rolled her eyes and plopped down on the couch,

“You can open a jar of peanut butter for me to prove that you’re a big strong man.” Celeste teased.

“I can do that, do you need me to come over right now cause I will.”

“Actually I need to work on my project for our class and some other stuff, maybe you can stay over again this weekend?”

“Sounds good or my parents aren’t here right now so I have the house to myself from now until next week, we can stay here for the weekend.”

“Okay, cool I’ll bring some extra clothes.”

“Or not, Ian laughed, I mean you could wear my clothes again too but it’s up to you.”

“I’ll bring my own it’s fine, Celeste paused and took a deep breath, Ian, I’m really glad were doing this or trying this. I know it’s not easy or what you’re used to but I appreciate you being patient with me.”

“I’m really glad too and being with you is easy because it’s makes me happy. I care about you a lot and I’m willing to do whatever I can to make sure you’re comfortable with me.”

“I know and I am, Celeste sighed, okay I’m going to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow. Good night babe.”

“Good night.”  
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/d0/bf/c4/d0bfc4729214628d5f98d531a20d8f72.jpg  
OhhhStar17: Throwback to the first bird painting I ever did when I was 8  
IanJReyes0716 liked this.  
MinBoBINA97: Oh my god this is so cute. I couldn't even draw stick figures right.  
SweetDaisee99: You're a freaking prodigy


	48. Winning At Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste experiences a familiar feeling from Ian which remind her of her old friends. The girls talk about something that is going to come up later. Erica talks to Celeste about her secret relationship and Julien gives Celeste a pep talk.
> 
>  
> 
> *Sorry I haven't updated guys. It's a mixture between writers block and not sure how I want to write the things that happen in between the bigger scenes. I know a lot of the important stuff but I'm struggling with just the daily things like school and stuff. I'm excited to start writing this first date and the weekend stuff though. It's going to be lots of fluff and domestic bliss :)*

Celeste just finished putting on some lipstick when her phone vibrated on the sink. She grabbed it and turned out the light,

Ian Reyes: Good morning, I’m outside :)

Celeste Drummer: Okay, I’ll be down in a minute.

Julien came into the kitchen as Celeste grabbed her light washed jean jacket that was hung up by the front door.

“Hey, you’re up early?”

Julien walked over to the kitchen counter and poured himself some coffee,

“Rinaldo wants to have a date that doesn’t involve alcohol or drunk karaoke.”

“Ah the sacrifices we make for love.” Celeste put her jacket on and checked her reflection in the mirror next to the front door.

“Speaking of love, how are things between you and Ian?” Julien smiled and sipped his coffee.

“Not there yet, see you later. Tell Rinaldo I said hi.”

“Okay, you do the same for Ian.”

Celeste got into Ian’s car, leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek,

“Good morning.”

“Yes it is, Ian looked into his mirror and laughed, are you marking your territory?” he pointed to the lipstick on his cheek.

“Oh shit sorry.” Celeste raised her hand to wipe it off but Ian leaned away and grabbed her hand.

“No leave it there, he looked over at her, do you think it’s my color?”

She pushed her hand against his face, wiped the lipstick off and rolled her eyes,

“No I think you would look better in a peachy color.”

“So how was your night?” Ian asked.

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“It was okay; I picked out the layout for my final project and looked more into that internship.”

“Oh good, did you decide you’re going to go for it?”

Celeste nodded,

“Yeah I mean I probably won’t get it, she rubbed the back of her neck, a lot of other people are probably going to go for it.”

“Hey, Ian grabbed her hand, you’ve got as good as a chance as anyone, actually even better because you’re super creative and talented.”

“Do you ever get tired of complimenting me?”

Ian shook his head and smiled with his lips pressed together.

When Ian went to get out of the car Celeste stopped him by grabbing his arm,

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I didn’t have a doctor’s appointment yesterday, she looked down at her hands, I had a therapy appointment. I’ve been going for a little over a year and I don’t want to get into why I’ve been going right now but I just wanted you to know.”

Ian grabbed Celeste’s hand and brought it up to his lips,

“I’m glad you told me but it’s not something you should feel ashamed of at all. I went to therapy for a few months after my sister died, to be honest I probably should’ve kept going.”

“Why did you stop?”

Ian shrugged his shoulders,

“I don’t know, I guess other stuff got in the way, Ian let go of Celeste’s hand and turned away, we should probably head inside.”

Celeste and Ian walked in holding hands until Garret and Peter walked up to them. Ian dropped Celeste’s hand and greeted them. She stood there awkwardly and waited for Ian to remember that she was there. It felt just like when she hung out with her old friends and they would exclude her. Instead of asserting herself Celeste just rolled her eyes and walked away.

“Celeste, she whipped her head around, where are you going?” Ian asked.

She pointed behind her,

“I’m going to go sit with my friends because they want to actually be seen with me.”

He reached for her hand but she pulled it away,

“Come’on, don’t be like that. It’s not that I don’t want to be seen with you it’s just, Celeste arched her brows and crossed her arms over her chest, they’re guys and I don’t want them to be asking questions or assuming stuff about us.”

“You can just tell them it’s none of their fucking business.”

“I know it’s just, you know how guys are.”

Celeste sighed and nodded,

“Right, you don’t want them to know the truth because you want them to think we’re sleeping together because you’re the cool guy who sleeps with chicks and I’m just, Ian grabbed Celeste’s face and kissed her in front of everyone, a girl.” Celeste breathed out.

“You are not just some girl Celeste and you’re right, it’s none of their business and if they ask I’m just going to tell them that were together and that’s it, okay?”

Ian brushed his thumb against Celeste’s cheek. She sighed and nodded,

“Alright and just so you know I’m not trying to make you choose between your friends and me. I want you to have friends and talk to them about stuff if you need to, just don’t suddenly go into “cool guy” mode when their around and treat me like I mean nothing to you. I’ve put up with that crap before and I won’t do it again.”

“Okay, he put his arms around her and hugged her, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel like that.”

Celeste felt the tension leave her body the tighter Ian squeezed her. She pulled away and looked over her shoulder,

“I need to go talk to the girls about the blog, I’ll see you in class.”

He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek,

“Okay, I’ll save you a seat.”

When Celeste walked over and sat down, everyone else got quiet. She looked over at Mina and Nehemie who smiled a little too wide. Daisy offered Celeste a chip,

“Want one?”

“No, I’m good. So I was thinking maybe for the blog we should have a, Celeste looked over at Nehemie, okay just get it over with and say whatever you need to.”

Nehemie leaned her arms against the table and shrugged her shoulders,

“I don’t have anything to say it just looked like something was going on between you two, she put her hands up, that’s all I’m saying.”

“He’s worried about what his friends will say or assume about us once they find out we’re together.”

“Well he can tell them to worry about their own damn self, Daisy scoffed, I swear guys are worse than girls, This girl in my high school sent this guy some nude pics, he shared them with his friends and she ended up switching schools because everyone saw them. Pshh and they say girls like to gossip.”

Celeste glanced over at Daisy,

“Who was the guy that shared the picture, she lowered her voice, it wasn’t Ian was it?”

Daisy shook her head,

“No it wasn’t him, Celeste let out a sigh of relief, you know I didn’t like the girl it happened to but she didn’t deserve what happened to her.”

“No one does, Mina jumped in, the same thing happened at our school. It was a mess, the cops were involved because the girl’s pictures ended up on some website. That’s why I have never sent a nude photo.”

Nehemie rolled her eyes,

“And because your dad would kill you.”

“That’s true, oh Celeste you were saying something about the blog.”

Celeste shook her head and laughed,

“Right, um I was thinking we could maybe have a theme each month on the blog. That way there’s some consistency and it gives people a sort of prompt that they can write about? What do you guys think?”

“Sounds good, Nehemie looked over Celeste’s shoulder, oh there’s Erica.” She waved her over.

When Erica sat down at the table, Celeste could tell right away that something was wrong. As Nehemie, Mina and Daisy came up with ideas for prompts, Celeste leaned towards Erica,

“Are you okay?”

Erica nodded and gave a faint smile,

“Yeah, it’s just, she stopped and looked over Celeste’s shoulder, it’s nothing. We can talk later.”

Celeste purposely got to class a little late and instead of sitting next to Ian she sat in the seat in front of him. He leaned forward as the teacher talked about the documentary they were going to be watching and whispered in her ear,

“I guess you’re still mad.”

“Shh the movie is about to start.” Celeste said over her shoulder.

He shook his head and leaned back. About ten minutes into the movie Celeste’s phone went off,

Ian Reyes: Let me make it up to you :)

Celeste Drummer: How are you going to do that?

Ian Reyes: You’ll see :)

Celeste looked behind her and shook her head. Ian nodded and whispered,

“Wait for me after class.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Before Celeste could say anything Ian dragged her out of the classroom once the movie was over.

“Ian, where are we going?” she asked trying to keep up with him.

“You’ll see, he pushed open the door and walked towards the gym, I should have done this in the first place.”

Ian pulled Celeste over to the weight room and walked up to Garret, Peter and some other guys that were working out.

“Hey bro, Garret looked over at Celeste then back to Ian, are you working out with us?”

Ian shook his head and looked over at Celeste,

“Not right now, right now I’m going to go have lunch with my girlfriend in cafeteria, he motioned to Celeste, you guys know Celeste well we’re dating and I just wanted you guys to know that.”

Garret stared at Celeste then looked over at the other guys,

“Uh okay, we’ll see you later I guess.”

“Uh yeah bye, Celeste smiled and followed Ian, there now there’s no secrecy and I can do this.” He whipped his head around, picked her up and spun her around.

She laughed and yelled at him,

“Okay, okay put me down, he sat her down but still had his arms around her, thank you for doing that but one little thing, Ian smiled, don’t pick me up okay because I have been dropped before.”

Ian gently picked Celeste up so that her feet were almost touching the ground. He leaned his forehead against hers,

“I promise you that I will never drop you.”

The warmth of his words and the tightness of his arms made Celeste believe him. As soon as he flashed that grin and batted his long eyelashes she wanted to give in.

Celeste was worried that sitting at lunch with Ian and the girls would be awkward but it wasn’t. The only awkward moment was when Ian’s friend Peter came over to sit with them and started flirting with Erica.

“So are you doing anything this weekend?”

Erica scooted closer to Celeste,

“Uh yeah I’ve got some stuff to do.”

“How about next weekend?” Peter asked.

Celeste grabbed Erica’s arm and stood up,

“Hey I still owe you a drink from the other day.”

Erica nodded and followed Celeste. Once they were out of ear shot Erica let out a sigh of relief,

“Thank you for saving me from that. He’s not a bad guy just…”

“Not your type, Celeste smiled, speaking of that. Is everything okay? You seemed upset earlier.”

“Yeah, Erica grabbed a drink and held it open for Celeste, it’s just tough being with someone that you can’t share. I mean I’m worried too about what people will say but she’s terrified to the point where I can’t even say hi to her in public.”

“That’s terrible, I wish she didn’t feel that way because it’s not fair to either of you. It would be awesome to have her come over and have lunch with us and double date, Erica smiled, that’s what you both deserve.”

“That would be awesome and I know she wants that too but I don’t know when she’ll get to that point. This is the first time I want to tell people, Erica leaned in, the only people that know are you, my cousin and the girl I had my first kiss with. I wanna tell the girls I’m just worried about them finding out who I’m with. I don’t want to accidentally out her.”

“Well it’s up to you but I think the girls respect you enough to not try and find out who you’re dating but I understand that you have to worry about her and not just yourself.”

When they sat back down at the table Peter luckily wasn’t there. Ian leaned over and said to Erica,

“Peter is a little thick headed so if you’re not into him I can tell him to back off.”

Erica smiled and nodded,

“Yeah could you do that because I don’t wanna mean, he seems like a nice guy but I’m not interested.”

“Gottcha, Ian winked and stood up, I gotta head to class, he leaned in and kissed Celeste on the cheek, I’ll see you after.”

She smiled and watched him walk backwards towards the door and almost run into someone. Celeste shook her head and turned to face everyone,

“That boy has got it bad for you.” Mina teased poking her sides.

She pushed Mina’s hands away and sighed,

“Yeah and the feeling is mutual.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Back at the apartment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

As soon as Celeste got home she finished her homework so that she didn’t have any to do over the weekend. Celeste figured if she was staying over at Ian’s house this weekend that she wouldn’t have much time to get her homework done. Once it was done she decided to try and write that letter her therapist wanted her to. Celeste decided to write it with pen and paper so she wouldn’t get distracted on her computer.

“Ugaaahh!” she ripped the page out of her notebook and tossed it onto the pile of papers already on the floor.

Julien poked his head in and knocked on the door frame,

“Can I come in to distract you from whatever you’re doing because it doesn’t sound pleasant?”

Celeste motioned to her bed and pushed the notebook behind her,

“Yes, please.”

Julien plopped onto the bed and laid down on his stomach,

“So, he rested his chin against his hands and kicked his feet, before I distract I gotta ask what the heck you were writing.”

Celeste reached down and grabbed a bunch of the crumpled up papers,

“My therapist wants me to write a letter to the guy who, Celeste paused and motioned with her hands, you know, Julien nodded, she thinks it would be a good way for me to open up about it and eventually tell more people, more specifically Ian because it’s going to interfere with our relationship. This is what I’ve written.” Celeste handed the pages to Julien.

Julien smoothed out one of the pages and read it out loud,

“Dear Ass face, I hate you and I hope you got all of the STD’s, signed Celeste, Julien pursed his lips, okay I think you should keep Dear Ass face.”

Celeste pointed to the other pages,

“All of them start with Dear some sort of obscenity because I hate even writing his name.”

Julien unfolded another page and read it,

“Dear Twat face, you are the worst person I ever met. I hope you die signed Celeste, he looked up, you’re not very creative with the names but it gets the point across.”

Celeste grabbed it from his hands and ripped it up. She laid back against the bed and stared up at her ceiling,

“I can’t even write down what I want to say to him.”

Julien sat up and leaned over,

“That’s not true, Celeste sat up, I think you know exactly what you want to say but you’re afraid to write it down because then it becomes something. It won’t just be thoughts in your head anymore, it’ll be something tangible.”

“I want to write about it and eventually talk about but I don’t know where to begin. I don’t know how I feel about him or the whole thing.”

“Okay I have an idea, maybe if you write it the way you would a story. Write like it’s a character but put your own thoughts and feelings into it. I think that might be a good way to start, then maybe you can put everything in first person when you feel ready.”

“That’s actually a pretty good idea. I think I’m going to try that. Thanks Juju.”

Julien leaned in and kissed her on her forehead,

“Anytime my love and for the record, I’m really proud of you for what you’re doing ad how far you’ve come.”

“Thanks but it doesn’t really feel that way to me.”

“Are you kidding me, Julien grabbed her hands, look when we first met, you could barely look me in the eye while we were having a conversation, no look at you, you’ve got awesome friends surrounding you, you study your ass off, you’ve got a super hot and supportive boyfriend and you started a blog which allows people to feel like they have a voice and their opinion matters. You are winning at life, he grabbed her shoulders, say it!”

Celeste rolled her head from side to side,

“I’m winning at life.”

Julien jumped up on her bed,

“Say it louder!”

Celeste pursed her lips and laughed,

“I’m winning at life!” she shouted.

Julien reached down, grabbed Celeste’s hands and pulled her up,

“You’re winning at life!” he jumped up and down.

“I’m winning at life!” Celeste joined in.

They jumped up and down on the bed until they were both out of breath. Julien laid there next to Celeste while she wrote her story down.

“Dear Josh, she read out loud, Celeste has a few things she wants to tell you…”

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/40/83/38/40833819da276327d0a550367325330d.jpg  
OhhhStar17: Sometimes it takes a glass of wine or two for me to tell you that I love you but, you're the best @JujuWearsA22  
JujuWearsA22: Aww I love you too :)


	49. I Dare You To...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste gets ready for her weekend with Ian. She decides to make their date more interesting and Ian decides to make it more messy. 
> 
>  
> 
> *Hey everyone that still reads this. Not sure how many people actually do but as long as one person likes it I'm going to keep writing because I honestly love it. I hope you all enjoy reading it :)*

The next morning Celeste hesitated as she reached into her underwear drawer. Oh god, she thought to herself, what if my underwear and bra don’t match, then she shook her head, wait, why am I worried about that. Ian isn’t going to see them. Before her anxiety could take over, Celeste threw her stuff in an black overnight tote and ran across the hall to grab her stuff from the bathroom. As she spun around her elbow bumped into a container and spilled Julien’s hair products all over the floor.

“Shit, Celeste bent down and reached for the lid that rolled behind the toilet, come here you son of a, her fingertips rolled it closer so she could grab it, gotcha!” she shouted.

When she turned around Julien was in the door way rubbing his hands over his face,

“I can’t wait to sleep in tomorrow without hearing you in the kitchen or knocking over my hair mouse.”

Celeste cocked her head and put the lid back on Julien’s mouse,

“Yeah well have fun eating frozen waffles for breakfast, lunch and dinner.” She teased.

Julien glared and opened his arms,

“Come on give me hug smart ass, he squeezed her then playfully pushed her away, okay now get out of here so I can get some sleep.”

“You act like it’s 6 in the morning, it’s almost 9.”

He grabbed her face and smushed it between his hands,

“You morning people drive us night owls crazy.”

“Same to you Juju.”

 

Celeste got into Ian’s car and threw her bag in the back,

“Good morning, she buckled her seat belt and looked over at him, are you ready to go?” she waved her hand in front of his face to snap him out of his daze.

He nodded and looked away,

“Yeah sorry, I just think you look really beautiful.”

Celeste pulled her hair back and looked down at her paint covered overalls and t-shirt. She pulled down Ian’s mirror and looked at her face,

“I look like a mess and we haven’t even painted yet.” She pushed the mirror back up and laughed.

“Well I think you look beautiful. How’s that Drake song go…hair tied back chilling with no makeup that’s when you look beautiful or something like that.” He winked.

“Thanks, she pointed to him, you look good too but are you sure you want to wear that shirt?”

When they stopped at a stop light he reached back and grabbed a plastic bag,

“I brought a shirt to change into and some towels to put down so we don’t get paint everywhere.”

“That was a good idea, she playfully punched his arm, look at you being all prepared.”

He rolled his eyes and rubbed his arm,

“You show affection in the weirdest ways.”

Celeste leaned over and stuck her tongue out,

“You love it, Ian stuck out his tongue and tried to lick Celeste but she pushed his face away, keep your tongue in your mouth and your eyes on the road.”

“Okay, but this tongue can do some pretty nice things, he leaned over, if you catch my drift.” He raised his eye brows.

Celeste bit down on her bottom lip and felt her face get hot. She turned her head away and smiled,

“You’re unbelievable.” Celeste rolled her eyes.

“Maybe, but I didn’t hear any objections.”

Celeste looked over at him and shook her head,

“I object.”

Ian parked the car and turned towards Celeste,

“Okay, he held his hands up, the judge has spoken, but let me know if you change your mind.”

“Trust me I will.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~At the museum~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For the first half of their date Celeste and Ian walked around the Jackson Pollock exhibit and listened to the guide. There were only four other people with them, an elderly couple and a father with his teenage daughter. Their guide, who looked fresh out of high school, stopped in front of one of the paintings and pointed to it,

“This painting is called, she lifted up a note card, Reflection of the Big Dipper. Jackson Pollock painted it in 1949 because he was thinking of the night sky.”

Celeste squinted and whispered in Ian’s ear,

“He painted it in 1947 not 1949.”

He laughed and looked over at her,

“Maybe you should be our tour guide.”

Celeste grabbed Ian’s hand and pulled him away from the group,

“Okay how about we play a game, I’ll ask you a question about Jackson Pollock and if you get it right, you get a point but if you get it wrong, I get a point. If you lose, you have to do a dare that the winner gets to choose.”

Ian nodded and leaned his forehead against hers,

“You’re on babe.”

“Okay, Celeste pushed Ian away and stepped back, what was Jackson Pollock’s first name?” she twirled around. Ian tilted his head and raised an eye brow,

“Is this a trick question, Celeste shook her head, okay can you at least give me some answers to choose from.” He pouted.

“Fine, is it Harry, Bartholomew or Paul?”

Ian ran his fingers threw his hair and sighed,

“I’m going to say Bartholomew because I would change it if it were my first name.”

Celeste shook her head,

“Nope it was Paul, Jackson is actually his middle name.”

“That’s not fair; you picked a crazy name thinking I would go for it.”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“You’re the one who wanted multiple answers.”

“Okay, fine that’s one point for you.” Ian wrapped his arms around Celeste and gave her a quick kiss.

Celeste took his hand and walked up to another painting,

“Okay this one will be a true or false question to give you a fair shot, true or false, there’s a Jackson Pollock painting in the MoMA that has a fly stuck in it.”

“Hmmm that sounds like something that could happen since he painted on the floor so I’m going to say true.”

“That’s right, one point to you, okay how much did someone pay for Jackson Pollock’s most expensive painting, 34 million dollars, 100 million dollars or 200 million dollars?”

“I think I’m going to go with the middle answer because I honestly have no idea.”

“It’s 200 million, Ian gasped, which is more than double Van Gogh’s most expensive painting.”

Ian came up behind Celeste and wrapped his arms around her waist,

“You know what I’m not even mad that I got the question wrong because I’m so turned on right now.”

Ian kissed and nuzzled his face into her neck. Celeste stared at him over her shoulder,

"Really, me talking about art is turning you on?"

He nodded,

"Yeah but then again you could be wearing a potato sack and reading me the dictionary and I would still think it's hot."

She turned towards him and side stepped over to another painting,

"Wow, you're like kind of obsessed with me, she laughed and moved his hair away from his face, I'm flattered."

"What can I say, I'm your number one fan."

She shook her head and stepped back,

"Nope that was too cheesy, we have to break up." Celeste walked away and Ian chased after her, grabbed her and pulled her back to him.

"Nope we can't, it's too late."

"What do you mean it's too late?"

"It's too late because you're already in love with me." He smiled and tilted her face up to his.

Celeste pursed her lips and shook her head,

"I'm not in love with you Ian."

"Yes you are and it's okay, I'm pretty awesome."

Celeste scoffed and pushed him away,

"Yeah okay, you're the one that's in love with me."

Instead of denying it Ian smiled and leaned in,

"What's the next question?"

Celeste shook the worried expression from her face and laughed,

“Oh right um, when was he born?” she walked away from him and told herself to calm down.

“Are you going to give me some answers?”Ian asked as he stood in front of her.

“Sure, 1912, 1922 or 1932.” 

“Wow, all of those seem older than I thought he was so I’m going to say 1932?” he said uncertain.

“Nope it was 1912, it looks like I won.”

“Looks like, so, he put his arms around her, what are you gonna dare me to do?”

Celeste tilted her head back and forth then shrugged her shoulders,

“I’m not sure yet, but I’ll think of something, we should probably head outside so I can dump paint all over that pretty face of yours.”

Ian gasped and shook his head,

“Oh is that my dare?”

Celeste shook her head and laughed,

“No, it’s just something I want to do.”

 

The canvases were set up outside of the ground the same way Jackson Pollock liked to paint. Celeste and Ian showed the ticket they got when they first walked into the museum to a guy already covered in paint and wearing a top hat.

“Thank you very much, he pointed to the paint cups, grab as many colors as you want, brushes, paint sticks and whatever else you want to use. When you’re done come back over and I’ll give you one of these so you can pick up your painting tomorrow.”

“Thanks my dude, by the way that is a snazzy hat.” Ian complimented the guy.

He removed the hat and bowed,

“Thank you.”

Celeste smiled and walked hand in hand with Ian to the cups of paint. She picked up a green cup, a turquoise blue and a purple almost black color that shimmered slightly. Ian walked back and forth contemplating which colors he wanted. Celeste sighed and rolled her eyes,

“If you don’t pick soon the paint is going to dry out, he glared at her over his shoulder, fine, she backed away, I’m going to go pick a canvas.”

She walked away with her paint cups, brushes and paint sticks and looked around for an empty canvas. The one next to the elderly couple wasn’t being used so she picked that one. Celeste put down her stuff, looked around and let out a deep sigh. The weather was great, not to hot or cold and not a lot of wind to disrupt their painting. Celeste loved painting outside, it was easier to clean up and even if she did leave a mess, the rain would wash it away. There was someone walking around with a camera taking pictures of the event. She spotted the father and teenage daughter or more specifically the daughter painting and the father on his cell phone. Ian was talking to the top hat guy by the paint so she decided to walk over to the girl.

“Hey, she raised her hand and looked down at the canvas, wow you’re really good at the drip technique.”

The girl couldn’t have been more than 13, with a mouthful of braces, brown frizzy hair to her shoulders and a face full of freckles,

“Thanks, I’ve been practicing a lot, she rubbed her paint covered hands on her white shirt, I’m Kara.”

“Hi Kara, Celeste shook her hand, I’m Celeste, she looked over at her dad, is that your Dad?”

Kara nodded and sighed,

“Yeah I really wanted my mom to come with but it’s my weekend with my Dad.”

Being forced to visit someone who clearly didn’t want you was a feeling Celeste knew all about. Every other weekend from the time Celeste was 4 till she was around 16 she had to visit her father and whoever he was with at the time. There were periods in that time where she didn’t see him at all because no one knew where he was. Her dad liked to randomly pop in and out of her life and as a young child that confused the hell out of her.

“I bet your mom wishes she could be here with you too, Celeste pointed to the girl’s shirt, do you go to Manatawny Middle School?”

She nodded then sighed,

“Yeah, it kind of sucks.”

Celeste laughed and nodded,

“Trust me I know, I went there too.”

“No way, do you know…”

“Kara, what are you doing, we need to go pick up Marla in ten minutes.” Her dad grumbled and glared at Celeste.

“That’s my mistake, I was just telling her how much I liked her painting.”

The dad rolled his eyes,

“A bunch of dots on a page isn’t a painting it’s a mess, his phone rang again, I’ll be at car finish up here so we can go.”

Kara turned to Celeste and groaned,

“Ugh he’s such an asshole, she gasped and put her hand up to her mouth, don’t tell him I said that.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t, you should finish your painting, Celeste leaned in, and don’t be afraid to put a little anger onto it.” She winked then walked back over to her canvas where Ian stood with his cups of paint.

“Hey, he looked behind her, you making friends?”

Celeste smiled and kissed him on the cheek,

“Yeah, she reminds me of someone, Celeste picked up a brush and a cup of paint, do you want pick a side or, a glob of paint flew in her direction and landed on her arm, did you really just do that?” Celeste gasped.

Ian shrugged his shoulders and winced,

“Whoops, I guess my aim was a little off.”

“Oh yeah, she flung her paint cup across the canvas but Ian moved out of the way and only got some on his side, no don’t you dare.” She ran around the canvas as Ian chased her and flung red paint on her.

Her dark purple paint splashed across the canvas and onto Ian’s chest. They chased each other around throwing paint on each other and only getting some on the canvas. The elderly couple stopped painting and watched them with amused looks on their faces. Ian tried to grab Celeste by her waist but he slipped on the paint and fell on the ground. Celeste tripped over his foot and landed on her back laughing hysterically and pointing at him. Ian wiped the paint away from his eyes, rolled over and sat on top of Celeste with a cup of paint in his hand. Celeste shook her head and pleaded with him. He put the cup down and laughed,

“You’re lucky you’re cute.” He leaned in to give her a kiss.

Before their lips touched Celeste reached out, grabbed the cup of paint and jumped it on the top of his head. Celeste tried to cover her face as Ian shook like a dog and flung green paint everywhere. He moved onto his side and gently stroked her cheek, adding green paint to the purple the was already on her face. 

“I think we got more paint on ourselves than we did on the canvas.”

He stood up and reached for her hand,

“I’ve got an idea, he took off his shoes and laid on his back on the canvas, let’s make paint angels.”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders and laid down beside him,

“This painting is going to be so amazing.” She moved her arms up and down because that’s where most of the paint was.

Ian flailed his limbs then stood up and pulled Celeste up with him,

“They should hang this in the MoMA.” He put his arm around her and kissed her.

When Celeste and Ian walked over to throw away their cups and bring back the tools they didn’t use, she noticed that Kara’s ticket to come back and get her painting was still there. While Ian talked to top hat guy, Celeste grabbed Kara’s ticket and their own.

 

Ian laid towels over their seats even though most of the paint was already dry and it wasn’t going to come off unless they took a shower and scrubbed themselves. Celeste leaned forward to turn up the radio and reached for Ian’s hand.

The way the light hit his face made his eyes look more green with gold flecks than brown but either way Celeste loved staring into his eyes. Instead of feeling embarrassed and looking away, like she used to, she wanted dive deep into them. Celeste wanted to know what his lips felt like on other places than just her lips and neck. The thought of it didn’t scare her the way it would have a month or two ago. It was progress because up until that point Celeste never pictured her being intimate with someone and wanting it.

Ian tilted his head towards her,

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing much, she smiled, oh by the way, is your pool open?”

“Yeah, why do you ask?”

“You’ll see.” She smirked.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/9f/6b/ce/9f6bcee25961359376a3e4fd01cd1aec.jpg  
IanJReyes0716: Paint Angels by Me and @OhhhStar17...just kidding we didn't paint this. Paul Jackson Pollock did in 1947.  
OhhhStar17, KingStephen009 and MinaBoBINA97 liked this


	50. "Hangry"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste come up with her dare for Ian. They go to the grocery store together and Celeste sees someone unexpected. Instead of keeping it to herself she decides to tell Ian.
> 
>  
> 
> *Hey so I really want to give Ian and Celeste a chance to talk and get to know each other this weekend because there's going to be some drama later when the "brother" character comes into the picture. Until then enjoy the fluff :)

Ian was about to walk into the house but Celeste grabbed his hand and turned him around,

“The reason I asked you if your pool was open is because I figured out my dare for you, Ian sat down Celeste’s bag and started to take his shirt off, uh uh, Celeste pulled his hands away, I dare you to jump in the pool with all of your clothes on.”

He laughed and shrugged his shoulders,

“Okay fine, he handed her his phone and keys, a deal is a deal although you had unfair advantage in the game, he held up his hands and walked over to the pool, that’s all I’m saying.”

“Yeah, yeah quit making excuses and jump in the damn pool.”

Ian stuck his tongue out and back flipped into the pool. Celeste gasped and stood at the edge of it,

“You could have hurt yourself dummy.”

Ian swam up to her and whipped his head back, flinging water all over Celeste. He laughed and wiped the water from his face,

“Okay oww I think I just rubbed paint into my eye, Ian closed one eye and pointed to the chair behind her, can you hand me that towel on the chair behind you before I go blind.”

Celeste rolled her eyes and walked over to the chair. She laid his stuff down and grabbed the towel.

“You are so dramatic, she walked over to edge of the pool and handed Ian the towel, here you go.”

“Thanks.” Ian took the towel from Celeste, grabbed onto her hand and pulled her into the pool.

“You asshole, Celeste yelled and shoved Ian away, the water is freezing.”

Ian swam around her and laughed,

“It’s not that bad, jeeze Celeste you’re so dramatic.” He teased.

“Oh really.” she put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him under the water.

Ian emerged from the surface, wrapped his arms around Celeste and pulled her towards him. He leaned in and kissed her, his hands reached up and pulled out her pony tail. She wrapped her arms around him and gently traced the tip of her tongue across his top lip. Ian muttered something under his breath and kissed her again but deeper. The water around them changed colors from the paint on their skin and clothes. Celeste’s clothes started to weigh her down so Ian wrapped her legs around him without breaking their kiss. He furrowed his brow and let out a slight groan.

“Okay, he put his forehead against hers and laughed, we should get out before one of gets a cramp or something else.”

“Yeah, your right, she said out of breath. Ian swam over to the edge, lifted her out of the pool and swam away, are you coming out or what?”

Ian pushed his lips together and pointed to the towel next to Celeste,

“Yeah, but can you hand me the towel, Celeste smirked, for real this time I need it to cover up.” He looked down.

Celeste handed him the towel and turned away,

“Are you sure you don’t want me to give you a wet willy again?”

“God no, even hearing those words makes my ear feel funny, Celeste turned to face him, I’m good now but I’m going to leave the towel around my waist just in case because you’re just too beautiful.” He kissed her cheek and walked with her into his house.

They slipped their shoes off by the front door and went upstairs. Ian laid her bag down by his bed and hung the towel up over his closet door to dry. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms and shivered,

“I think I should probably go shower and change out of these clothes.”

Ian looked down at his clothes and nodded,

“Yeah same, he grabbed her by belt loops and pulled her towards him, so should we shower together and save water, Celeste opened her mouth to say something but Ian shook his head and laughed, don’t worry I was just kidding, he walked over to his dresser and grabbed a change of clothes for himself, you can shower across the hall and I’ll use my parents bathroom.”

“Okay, Celeste picked up her bag, maybe after I can make some lunch for us. I’m starving.”

“Sure, he kissed her forehead, I don’t know how much food is actually downstairs but you’re welcome to try and make something.”

Celeste took less time in the shower so she headed downstairs to see what she could make for them for lunch. She first checked the fridge and saw half a gallon of milk, assorted condiments in the door, one single egg and banana that was moldy so she threw it away.

She closed the fridge and opened some the cabinets. There were some cereal boxes, a bag of tortilla chips, probably left over from one of Ian’s parties, and a can of chicken noodle soup.

Ian came into the kitchen drying his hair with a towel. Celeste shook her head and laughed,

“Wow you really weren’t kidding. What the hell do you eat on a daily basis?”

“Uh mostly I eat at the college or order take out, he walked up to her and put his arms around her waist, also I haven’t really been here that much. Stephen’s mom is a great cook.”

“Well I can’t do much with what you have here so how about we go shopping so you can eat something when you are at home.”

“Sounds great, he kissed her cheek, let me just grab my keys.”

Celeste followed him out of the kitchen and slipped on her shoes even though they were still wet,

“Can I drive?” she asked as he shut the door.

“Uh, sure, he handed her the keys, I didn’t even know you could drive to be honest.”

“Yeah I take the bus because it’s cheaper but I do miss my car and having the freedom to just go anywhere when I want to.”

Celeste got into the car and pulled the seat up a little so she didn’t have to stretch to reach the gas pedal.

“Yeah I know what you mean, Ian glanced over at Celeste, so how long has it been since you drove?” he put on his seat belt and hung onto the door.

She punched his arm and put on her seat belt,

“Not that long, she checked the mirror and started his car, and I’m actually a great driver. The person that gave me my driving test told me I should be driving instructor.” Celeste stuck her tongue out at him.

“So is that your dream job, teaching kids how to drive?”

“God no, Celeste laughed, my dream job would be if someone paid me to sit at home and write or make art. What about you?”

Ian shrugged his shoulders and turned down the radio,

“I don’t know, I’ll probably end up working for my dad’s business, something in PR management.”

Celeste tilted her head towards Ian,

“I asked you what you’re dream job is not what you’ll settle for.”

Ian sighed and scrunched up his nose,

“My dream job would be if someone paid me to travel around the world and make travel videos for different places.”

“Really, he nodded and looked away, I had no idea that was something you wanted to do.”

“I used to make videos with my sister when we were younger and every time we went somewhere on vacation we took videos. I actually put them together in a cheesy montage style video.”

“I wanna see it, Celeste shook her head and pulled into the parking lot, I mean if you want to show it to me. You don’t have to.”

Ian grabbed her hand and kissed,

“I would love to show it to you, just don’t judge it too harshly because I made it a long time ago.”

She leaned across the center console and kissed him,

“I won’t, she brushed her finger tips against his lips, also it’s kind of a turn on to find out you have this artsy side of you.”

“Oh I am artsy as hell, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, when I visit my grandmother I sit and knit with her.”

Celeste placed her hands on Ian’s shoulders,

“Aw that’s actually really sweet, she gave him a quick kiss and messed up his hair, come ‘on let’s go get some food before I get “hangry”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In the store~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ian grabbed a shopping cart and followed Celeste into the store. He gently bumped the cart into her butt. Celeste whipped her head around and stuck her tongue out at him.

“Okay so what’s on this list?” Ian leaned on the cart and raised it off the ground.

Celeste put her hand on the front of it and steered him over to the fruits and vegetables,

“Well you need to eat some fruit that’s not in a Pop Tart or moldy like the banana I threw away.”

“Yeah I meant to do that this morning before I picked you up and I forgot.”

Celeste put some bananas in the cart and grabbed a few apples,

“How do you feel about baked apple pork chops and green beans for a late lunch/early dinner?”

“I feel like marrying you right now.”

“Okay, his eyes lit up, I mean okay I’ll take that as a yes not as in I’ll marry you dork.” Celeste picked out some sage and placed it in the cart.

Ian pouted and followed Celeste with the cart,

“This is going to be in my vows somewhere about the first time we went grocery shopping and I asked you to marry me and you said “I’ll marry you, dork” and that’s when I knew.” He smiled and laid his head on her shoulder

Celeste reached for a bag and handed it to Ian,

“Grab some green beans while I get some parsley, I wanna get out of here and make those pork chops.”

“Sure thing dear, he grinned widely, am I annoying you yet?” Ian asked.

“Oddly enough no but my tolerance is getting lower for your “cuteness”

Ian nodded and put a twist tie around the bag of green beans,

“Fair enough, okay what else do we need?”

“Well pork chops, obviously, butter, some spices and maple syrup.” Celeste scanned the aisles and grabbed some cinnamon and nut meg.

“I’ll handle the meat, Celeste slowly turned her head and gave Ian a dead pan look, what? I’ll handle the meat because I have experience handling…”

She threw the spices in the cart and put her hand over his mouth,

“Just go get the pork chops with a bone in them, please?”

He removed her hand and kissed it,

“Okay, I’ll meet you up front.”

Celeste doubled back to grab the minced garlic that she forgot and stopped dead when she saw a man, about 6’1 with a large gut and the face of someone who attempted to shave but gave up. He had paint covered jean shorts on and a black t shirt with small holes in it. Her chest tightened as he turned to face her. Celeste quickly turned the cart around and ran right into Ian.

“Woah hey, was that payback for earlier, he laughed then looked at Celeste’s face, are you okay?”

He walked up to her and put his hands on her shoulders. Celeste nodded and reached into her bag,

“Yeah I just need to go to the bathroom, she handed him money, can you check out while I go do that?”

He pushed her hand away and wrapped his arms around her,

“You’re cooking for me, there’s no way I’m taking money from you”

Celeste was about to argue but she saw her dad walk towards them,

“Okay, she kissed him on the cheek and grabbed her bag, I’ll meet you up front.”

 

Celeste put her bag on the counter, careful to avoid the random puddles of water and took a deep breath. It’s okay, she thought to herself, he didn’t say anything. Celeste got anxiety when she saw someone that even looked like her dad but that was one hundred percent him. There were so many questions in her mind, why was he here, was there a girlfriend waiting in the car and why was there a small part of her that just wanted to run into his arms and shout “Daddy!”

She washed her hands, even though she didn’t use the bathroom, and splashed some cold water on her face. There was a possibility he didn’t recognize me, she thought as she stared in the mirror. Her hair was a little lighter and shorter. The last time her dad saw her she wore over sized sweaters and baggy jeans to hide her body. Now she wore mostly high wasted jeans and tighter tops like the black mock neck top she had on. Celeste threw away her paper towel and took a few deep breaths before leaving the bathroom.

As Celeste helped Ian put the groceries in his car she gazed around the parking lot.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, she handed him his keys, you can drive if you want.”

“Okay, he took the keys from her and reached into one of the bags, oh I got you these so you have something to snack on.” Ian handed Celeste a bag of doughnuts.

It was just doughnuts but it made Celeste tear up. When they got into the car Celeste turned toward Ian and took his hand,

“I lied, I’m not okay, he leaned in, I saw my dad in the store and we don’t have a good relationship. I just wasn’t expecting it and it made me feel trapped.”

“Okay I get it, he gently rubbed her shoulders as she let of breath, are you okay now?”

She nodded and smiled,

“Yeah, I feel a little anxious but mostly I’m just starving.” Celeste said as she took a bite of another doughnut and crumbs fell out of her mouth.

He laughed, put his hand on the back of her neck and kissed the top of her head,

“Okay, let’s go back to my house before you and I eat this entire bag.” Ian grabbed a doughnut, shoved it in his mouth and started the car.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/ed/d4/49/edd449f8410a39b0a90fd4d2f90e3e8f.jpg  
OhhhStar17: This is after we went to the museum, kissed next to my favorite paintings and created our own masterpiece outside. Now I'm about to cook me and @IanJReyes0716 pork chops. Life is unexpected :)  
IanJReyes0716: Yes it is :)  
MinaBoBINA97: I'm so happy for you!!! <3  
KingStephen009, JuJuWearsA22, SweetDaisee99, LittleFoot693 and NehNeh392 liked this


	51. Sasha and the Kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste realizes her control issues are even worse in the kitchen. Celeste opens up about her mother's condition. Ian says something that makes Celeste uncomfortable and Ian decides to share something personal with Celeste.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In the kitchen~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
“So what can I do to help?” Ian asked as he put his arms around Celeste’s waist and pulled her against him.

She leaned her head back and smiled,

“You can not to do that while I have a knife in my hands.” Celeste placed the knife on the counter and twisted around to face him.

“Right, sorry, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her, okay while you do that I’m going to put on some music. Any requests?”

“Something classic, she held up her finger, but not classical because screeching violins remind me of middle school, Ian gave her a dumbfounded look, I played the violin in 6th grade.”

“Gotcha, he leaned in and kissed her cheek, I won’t play any Beethoven, Mozart or Bach.”

“Wow, so how many more Classical composers can you name?”

“Uhh Clementi, Weber, Sussmayr, Celeste held up her hand, for some reason my brain decided to remember a bunch of classical composers from my music class in 8th grade.”

“Huh, interesting, my brain memorized a song from 5th grade chorus but it’s okay because now I know all fifty states in alphabetical order.” Celeste turned back around and kept chopping up the apples.

“You know later I’m going to ask you to do it.” Ian yelled as he walked out of the kitchen.

Celeste preheated the oven to 400 degrees and sprayed a baking sheet with some nonstick spray. She prepped the pork chops for the rub and turned on the front burner. It took her a few minutes to figure out where things were in Ian’s kitchen but once she did Celeste got into her zone. She put the pork chops in a skillet and put the green beans on the baking sheet. Even though she did multiple things at once, her mind felt at ease when she cooked.

She seared the pork chops on each side for about 3 minutes then put them on the baking sheet along with the green beans. As Celeste drizzled olive oil over the green beans Ian appeared at her side.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help?” he asked as she placed the tray into the oven.

Celeste maneuvered around him and washed off the apples at the sink,

“Nope I’ve got it covered.”

“You can ask for help you know, Celeste glanced over at him, you don’t have to do everything on your own.” Ian put his hand on her shoulder.

Celeste sighed deeply and handed him one of the apples she just washed off,

“Okay, you’re right, she shrugged her shoulders, I guess that’s just what I’m used to. You can cut up this apple.” Celeste winced like she was in pain.

“See, her kissed her cheek, that wasn’t so hard.”

Celeste nearly cut her finger because she was too busy watching the way Ian cut them. He looked over at her and she looked away. She did it a few times before Ian sighed and put down his knife.

“I’m sorry okay, just let me, she took the knife and the apple from him, it’s easier if you cut it this way.” Celeste demonstrated it to him by cutting up most of the apple.

“Okay, he put his hand on hers, I think I’ve got it.”

Celeste wiped her hands and check on the pork chops and green beans. Once the apples were cut up, mostly by her, she melted butter in a pan and added the apples that were coated in brown sugar cinnamon and nutmeg.

She asked Ian to stir the apples while she grabbed plates and silverware.

“Do you have a meat thermometer?” Celeste asked as she searched in the drawers and cabinets.

“Uh, yeah here why don’t you take over because I know you’re dying to anyway, while I look for it?”

His tone was lighthearted but Celeste knew he was serious. She knew she had control issues, for obvious reasons, but she didn’t realize how bad they actually were. Celeste turned off the stove top and set the caramelized apples aside.

“I found it, Ian stood up and handed it to her, wow those apples smell amazing all on their own.”

“Remind me to make you my Bourbon apple tart sometime, it’s way better than apple pie.” Celeste opened the oven and stuck the thermometer into the pork chops. They still needed a few more minutes so she put them back in the oven.

“I might have to start going to the gym three times a week, he gently tucked her hair behind her ear, to keep up with all of this incredible food you’re making. Where did you learn how to cook like this?”

Celeste tensed up and looked away,

“Oh you know, just something I learned from reading cook books and watching tutorials online, she opened the oven and took the baking sheet out, they should be done by now.”

Learning how to cook wasn’t a hobby for Celeste, it was all based around the fact that her mother couldn’t or wouldn’t cook. Celeste came home from school a few times to a kitchen filled with smoke or the oven on and her mother nowhere in sight. That’s part of the reason she stopped leaving the house. She was afraid of what the house would look like or if it would even be there at all.

Instead of eating at the kitchen table, Ian suggested they sit in the living room so they would be more comfortable. Celeste sat down next to Ian and carefully laid her plate on the table in front of them. She handed him a napkin and laid one across her lap.

“Don’t worry about getting anything on the couch, I’ll just flip the cushions over, Ian grinned and ate a green bean, oh my god these taste amazing

“This couch looks expensive, Celeste looked around at the furniture and the giant flat screen T.V in from of them, actually everything looks expensive.” She laughed.

“Yeah, Ian sighed, it’s never felt like a home. The house I grew up in, that was a home. It was still pretty big but, he looked around, it felt different. This place just feels so empty since, he paused and looked over at her, my sister died.”

Celeste set her fork down and wiped her mouth,

“You miss her a lot, don’t you?”

He nodded and looked away,

“Yeah, I mean don’t get me wrong there were times where she just annoyed me to death like any other little sister would, he smiled, but nothing has felt the same since she died.”

Celeste grabbed his hand and leaned in,

“Maybe that’s why you and your parents aren’t around here much because this place reminds you of your sister.”

“Maybe, he sighed and looked over at Celeste, I think my parents avoid coming home because of me. I guess we just avoid each other. What about your parents, you never really talk about them.” He put the spotlight on her instead if himself.

Celeste let go of his hand and leaned back.

"There’s not much to say, my parents aren't together, they never really were. My dad isn’t really in my life so you don’t need to know much about him other than the fact that he never really wanted me in the first place so we’re better off without each other."

"What about your mom?"

"My mom, Celeste stopped and looked over at him, was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s in her late thirties, Ian leaned in, I dropped out of high school to take care of her and finished getting my diploma online. I officially became her primary caregiver when I turned 18, Celeste cleared her throat, the disease progressed quickly so I had to be there all the time to keep an eye on her. She barely knows who I am anymore.” Celeste took a deep breath to try and stop herself from crying but it didn’t work.

Ian reached over and wiped her tears away with his finger,

“I’m so sorry Celeste. I’m sorry you had to go through that alone, he put his arms around her and kissed her forehead, now I understand why you don’t ask for help it’s because you didn’t have anyone, he gently cup her face in his hands, but you do now, you’ve got me and your friends so not everything has to be on your shoulders.”

“I’ve got a lot of baggage, she laughed and leaned away, seriously I’m over the weight limit, she grabbed his hands, what I’m trying to say is it’s going to be hard for me to show you all of it and I can’t do it all at once.”

“That’s okay, every has stuff they don’t know how to deal with. There are things I want to tell you to but, he looked away, I don’t want to scare you away.”

Celeste leaned forward on her knees and draped his arms around her neck,

“As long as you don’t have a secret family in some other state or you killed someone , you’re on the run and your real name is Vlad or something, Ian grinned, then I’m not going anywhere.”

Ian wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her shoulder,

“What if my secret family lives in a different country, does that count?” he mumbled and kissed her neck. She pushed him away and laid back against the arm of the couch, oh come’on, you’ll love Sasha and the kids.”

“But if you’re still married to Sasha, how are we going to get married?” Celeste teased and shoved her foot in his face. Ian grabbed it and started tickling her. Celeste shrieked and pulled her foot away. Ian crawled towards her and leaned over,

“Sasha who, I don’t know anyone named Sasha or her damn kids.”

“That’s what I thought.” Celeste grabbed the back of Ian’s head and pulled his lips to hers.

Celeste laid there on the couch with Ian while he gently ran his fingers through her hair and flipped through the channel guide.

“Oh look Trainspotting is on, he looked down at Celeste who shrugged her shoulders, you’ve never seen Trainspotting?” Ian sat up and moved his arm.

Celeste shook her head,

“I’ve never even heard of it.”

“It’s one of my favorite movies, Ian gushed, it’s this gritty British movie from the 90’s about these heroin addicts and the main guy is constantly trying to stop doing drugs but all of his friends do it so he keeps getting roped back into it. My description really doesn’t do it justice. The cinematography is amazing and, he stopped and looked over at her, I just realized I sound like a total nerd.”

Celeste smiled and moved his hair out of his face,

“You do but it’s kinda cute, she leaned in, kind makes me wanna kiss you.” She tugged at the collar of his shirt.

Ian kissed her and looked over at the T.V.,

“Can we do both, Celeste pulled away, I really like this movie.”

“Sure, she laid her head on his shoulder, so who’s that guy?”

As Ian explained the movie to Celeste she tried to pay attention to what he was saying but kept getting distracted by his lips and the way he pursed them when he was thinking. The joy in his voice when he talked about the visuals, comparing it to other directors Celeste hadn’t heard of. Seeing this whole other side to him made her realize it was who he was before all the trauma happened to him and he was openly sharing it with her.

She leaned over when he was mid-sentence and kissed him. Instead of focusing on the movie, Ian placed Celeste in his lap and gripped her waist as she straddled his legs,

“I’m blocking your view of the T.V. now.” she laughed and wrapped her arms around him.

“That’s okay, Ian blushed, I’ve seen it before and we can watch it some other time.” he leaned in and kissed her neck.

Celeste tilted her head back and sighed,

“I was hoping you would say that.”

“What’s wrong, Ian unbuttoned the top button of her shirt, you don’t like the movie?” he kissed her shoulder and collarbone.

“No it’s fine, her breathing became heavier and faster as his hands gripped her tighter, I just like you more.”

“God damn you’re so hot, Ian whined and leaned back, I’m trying so hard to not throw you down on this couch right now and have my way with you.”

The wording made Celeste lean away and slid off of him,

“Maybe don’t say like that, it kind of makes me feel uncomfortable.”

“Okay, I’m sorry, he took her hands, let me try that again, he reached over and placed his palm against her cheek, I’m glad I get to be your first, Celeste blushed and looked away, but I want to be your last too which sounds crazy I know, he smiled and gently kissed her, but I mean it.”

Instead of saying anything Celeste just wrapped her arms around her and buried her face into his shoulder so he couldn’t see the tears that spilled down her cheeks.

They laid there together and watched the rest of the movie, which Celeste actually enjoyed even though she spent a lot of the time watching Ian watch the movie.

“I wanna show you something upstairs in my room.”

Celeste picked her head up and laughed,

“You already showed me your snails Ian. How are they by the way?”

“Pretty good, I think Bubbles and Chico got into a fight over some food or something but Flowers misses you.”

She laughed and rolled her eyes,

“You are so weird.” He pulled her off the couch and she followed him upstairs to his room. He went into his closet and pulled out a box. Celeste sat down on the edge of his bed and watched Ian bend over in front of her. Without even realizing it she licked her lips. He caught her staring as he turned around to face her,

“Okay what I’m about to show you has only been seen by my sister and my parents but they haven’t seen the whole thing because they left to go to do something else when I showed it to them. It’s very embarrassing and now that I put it in I’m not sure if I want to press play.” He laughed with the remote in his hand.

“It’s up to you but I really want to see it and I promise I won’t make fun of it or get up and leave in the middle of it unless I have to go to the bathroom which in that case, I’ll ask you to pause it.”

“Okay, Ian cleared this throat and shook his head, wow I’m actually shaking, Celeste reached for his hand, okay, he sat down next to her, this is only volume one of the Vacation chronicles, there’s seven in total, but we don’t have to watch them all.”

“I wanna see them all, she smiled, go on and hit play.”  
https://i.pinimg.com/564x/dd/94/ea/dd94ea4396c1a77360c2df83e954d0ee.jpg  
OhhhStar17: Guess which foot is mine.  
IanJReyes0716: Plot twist: Neither of them are yours, they’re both mine.  
OhhhStar17: Plot twist x2: it’s neither of ours and these feet belong to a random couple whose house we broke into to take this picture.  
MinBoBINA97: You guys are too much!


	52. Frosted Tips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian shows Celeste a video of his family on vacation so Celeste shares something of hers. A topic comes up that she hasn't talked about with anyone other than her therapist.
> 
>  
> 
> **Trigger Warning** I briefly talk about an un-diagnosed eating disorder
> 
> **Also sorry for the long wait. I have a lot of stuff written but I'm struggling with the minor details of the story. Hope this was okay!**

The video started with a title screen that read an Ian Reyes production staring and then shots of him with a cartoon explosion followed by his name is some bright font. Celeste looked over at him and smiled,

"I'm already in love with this." She laughed.

"Hey I made this on some crappy video editing program for free. I was limited."

An image of a woman’s side profile appeared on the screen. Before the cartoonish graphic even came up Celeste knew it was Ian's mom. She had dirty blonde feathered hair and bright smile on her face as she turned toward the camera.

She kind of looked like Celeste's mom except her mother’s hair was darker and her mother didn't have such distinguishing features as Ian's mom. She wore the quintessential 90's mom outfit of shorts a tight floral tank top and white sneakers with a bright green visor.

"Your mom is really beautiful."

"Believe or not that’s her dressed down. The only time she didn't care about what she looked like was when we were on vacation."

His mother's introduction ended with her making a kissy face at the camera. His dad appeared next and it was like seeing into the future of what Ian would look like in about ten years or less.

A word that Julien said when he saw a hot guy came to her mind, Woof. Celeste looked away from the T.V. feeling slightly uncomfortable from checking out her BFS dad. His dad even did that half smirk that Ian did which drove Celeste nuts at first because it always looked like he had some hidden motive.

The next person to come on the screen made Ian suck in a breath. Instead of looking at the screen Celeste looked over at him and squeezed his hand,

“You okay?”

He nodded and wiped his eyes with his hand,

“Yeah I’m okay. I just haven’t watched these since she died.”

Ian’s sister, Grace, ran along the beach in a purple and white polka dotted one piece bathing suit. From behind the camera Ian yelled for her to run into the water. She shrieked as she ran into the water then ran up to Ian. Her face filled up the entire frame, with rosy red cheeks and a wide toothy grin.

"I know I said I wanna see them all but if it's too much we can stop and watch something else."

"No, it's okay. It's not as bad with you here."

They only made it through the first video but it gave Celeste the opportunity to ask Ian some questions. He laid his head on her lap and played with the fringe on the blanket while Celeste ran her fingers through his hair.

"So what do your parents do?"

"My mom is a lawyer in international affairs which is why she's never home and my dad works in PR and Advertising for sports teams."

"Does it bother you that they're never home?"

"It didn't at first because you know having the house all to myself and throwing parties all the time kept me from being alone but after a while it made me feel even more lonely."

"I know what you mean. Sometimes surrounding yourself with a bunch of people or in my case the wrong people, reminds you of how lonely you actually are, Celeste cleared her throat and sighed, okay since you showed me something from your past, she grabbed his laptop and opened it, I will show you something from mine.”

She signed in to here old YouTube channel, impressed that she still knew the password and scrolled till she found the first video ever uploaded. Celeste pushed the laptop closer to Ian and hide her face behind her hands.

“Oh come ‘on it can’t be that bad. Did you not see the frosted tips I had?”

“Yes and I think you looked adorable, she ruffled up his hair, this is not adorable. It’s the first dance routine I ever learned.”

“How old were you?”

“I started when I was ten so, Celeste squinted and tilted her head up, I think I was 11 in the video, Celeste hit play and looked up at the ceiling, I literally can’t watch because the choreography is so bad.”

“I’m guessing you’re the smallest one there.”

“Yeah, all of the rest of the girls were like 14 or 15. I got placed in the advanced class because I kept making up my own dances in the easy class.”

Ian laughed and grabbed her hand,

“Yeah, that sounds exactly like you.”

Celeste watched Ian watch her dance on the screen. Her turns weren’t as sharp as the other girls but her body swayed and bended to the music like she was made of rubber. Her jumps were pretty high because of her height and light as a feather body. During her solo she rolled her body on the floor, reached out her hand and dragged herself across the floor. Having bruises on her legs and arms was a normal thing for her because of dance.

A teacher in middle school even called her down to the office to make sure nothing was going on at home. She thought they meant because her mom forgot to pack her a lunch or give her lunch money that day. They even called her mother in for an appointment which she forgot to show up to.

The video ended with Celeste and the other girls on their backs with their hands pressed against their chests.

“That’s insane, she looked over at him, I can’t believe how good you were when you were ten years old!”

Celeste felt her cheeks get red,

“I wasn’t 10, I was 11 and it was actually a little sloppy. I got way better with control on my turns.”

“Well I think it’s beautiful, he looked at the computer then over at her, can I see another one?”

“I guess if you really want to, Celeste moved the laptop closer to her and found one of the videos she was actually proud of, this is one that I choreographed myself.”

“How old were you?”

“I think I was 15. The video is a little shaky because I sat my camera on a crappy table with a bunch of telephone books.” Celeste pressed play and shook her head.

“What’s wrong?” he playfully bumped his shoulder into hers.

“It’s nothing, I just can’t believe I’m showing these to you.” She laughed and rubbed the back of her neck.

In the video Celeste sat in a chair with her body slouched over. As the song she slowly jerked her head up, slid off the chair and onto the floor. She remembered the line of bruises on the back of her thighs and how red her legs were from doing that. She looked over at Ian whose eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly opened. Celeste was even impressed with herself. The one thing she struggled with when she first started was getting dizzy when she did turns.

Instead of being impressed by how many turns Celeste could do in a row she was more focused on how thin her arms were and how it looked like she was dancing on toothpicks. As soon as the video ended she shut Ian’s laptop and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Wow that was amazing and the way you moved was just, he stopped and looked over at her, what’s wrong?”

“It’s just hard to watch some of these videos, he gave her a confused look, you didn’t see anything wrong with me?”

He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders,

“No, you looked fine.”

Celeste sighed,

“Well I wasn’t, she took a deep breath to get rid of the edginess in her voice, the reason I stopped dancing is because I realized I was using it as an excuse to work out and punish my body. No one really said anything because dancers are thin.”

“Oh, Ian cleared his throat, I didn’t…mean to bring that up.”

“It’s okay, I just hate that no one ever noticed. I mean I can see how unhealthy I look but that’s probably because I know that I was less than a hundred pounds at one point and passed out a couple times from not eating and working out too much.”

Telling someone other than her therapist about how she struggled with an undiagnosed eating disorder felt like she was sitting in front of him completely naked. It was one the things Celeste regretted the most in her life and the thing she was most ashamed of.

“Well I think you should be proud, she gave him a confused look, I mean proud that you’ve come this far, Ian grabbed her hands, it’s not easy to go through something like that on your own and come out the other side better and stronger but, you did.”

For the rest of the night Celeste and Ian laid on his bed and asked each other questions ranging anywhere from favorite flavor of ice cream to would you rather discover that aliens are real or that Bigfoot is real.

Celeste looked down at Ian whose head was in her lap while he played with the loose threads on his blanket.

“That’s a hard one because I feel like either way they’re going to end up in a cage and that makes me sad.” Celeste pouted.

“Aw, Ian sat up and leaned over to give her a kiss, you’re so adorable, okay what if you’re the only one who knows about them?”

Celeste squinted and pursed her lips,

“Hmm I’m going to go with aliens because for some reason I picture them being really small or at least smaller than Big Foot and I think it would be cool to teach an alien to talk and stuff.”

Ian laughed and nodded,

“Yeah same, also I don’t want Big Foot hair everywhere, he looked over at his T.V., wow, we’ve been talking for four hours.”

Celeste rolled over to look at the T.V. then rolled back over to face Ian,

“Well time flies when you’re learning that your boyfriend has never seen any of the Harry Potter movies.” She playfully pushed his shoulder.

Ian rolled his eyes and pushed her back,

“Okay but you’ve never seen Fight Club which I feel like is way worse, it’s a cinematic masterpiece!” he yelled and flung his arms up in the air.

Celeste sighed and shrugged her shoulders,

“I think it’s a little overrated, Ian gasped, sorry had to say it.” She held up her hands.

Ian sat up and looked down at her,

“Overrated, she nodded, Harry Potter has to be the most overrated thing of all time I mean there are so many movies and a whole theme park based off of it. That is the definition of overrated.” He booped her nose which made her swat his hand away.

“Okay agree to disagree on that but I will debate the hell out of why Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest bands of all time.”

“I didn’t say they were, Ian propped himself up on his elbow and ran his fingertips up and Celeste’s arm, but I think The Beatles are better.”

“Talk about overrated, Celeste muttered under her breath then laughed, what’s your favorite song?”

“That’s easy, “Till There Was You”, it’s not a very popular song but it’s just so simple and upbeat. Don’t get me wrong I love all of their hits but that song just makes me feel good, Celeste smiled and played with the collar of his t-shirt, what about you?”

“Hmm that’s hard question for me but the first song that comes to my mind is “Going to California” because I just love the lyrics, someone told me there’s a girl out there with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair, she sang and smiled to herself, I just always wanted to be that girl.

“You are the girl to me” Ian leaned in and gently kissed her.

Celeste scooted closer to him and laid her head on his chest. Being in bed with Ian felt better than sleeping in her own bed. No sheets could compare to the softness of his touch. No blankets felt safer than being in his arms. She didn’t have to worry about him going too far or fast because they were both on the same page and everything was up to her.

It was a happy thought in her mind as she felt her eyes close and heard Ian murmur, “good night” into her hair.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/27/d6/2d/27d62d9c7391c94dd65f6ccc787923b6.jpg

IanJReyes0716: "Happy Sunday everyone :)"


	53. She's Different Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian makes breakfast for Celeste which brings up memories of her mom. Celeste takes Ian somewhere special and they have a serious talk about their future.
> 
>  
> 
> **Hey readers!! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. The heat turns my brain to mush and I haven't been writing much lately but I'm going to try and write everyday in August BUT that doesn't mean I'll post everyday because I like to have at least a thousand words before I post. Also I know there's been a lot of Celeste and Ian lately but I'm thinking of some things for the girl squad because I don't want that friendship to get overshadowed :) **

The next morning, Ian woke up before Celeste and made some coffee. The smell of it pulled her out of bed and led her into the kitchen where Ian was making pancakes.

“Good morning, he gave her a kiss on the cheek, how’d you sleep?”

“Good, she sat down at the table; I always sleep good next to you. There’s no oregano in these, right?” she smiled and looked down at the plate in front of her.

“Haha, Ian grabbed his plate and sat down next to her, no they’re just normal pancakes. They’re probably not as good as yours but I tried my best.”

She took a bite of them and pretended to keel over onto the table with her head down. Ian laughed and tossed a napkin at her. Celeste looked up and winked,

“I’m only kidding, they’re actually pretty good. Can I offer just a little bit of criticism?”

He shrugged his shoulders and took a bite that was dripping with syrup. He wiped his mouth off and took a sip of his coffee,

“Sure as long as it’s about my cooking skills and not my other skills.” He winked.

“Oh I have some criticisms about that too, he stopped mid bite and looked over at her, I’m just kidding. Maybe put a little vanilla in the batter and a tiny bit of salt.”

“Hmm salt, really, she nodded, yeah I never would have thought to put salt in pancakes. How come you don’t put syrup on your pancakes?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her coffee,

“I don’t know, I’ve always been that way. When my mom made pancakes for me before school I would take a few with me in my pocket and eat them in class. The teacher yelled at me and told me I couldn’t do that unless I had enough for the whole class so my mom made a bunch of mini pancakes for me to take and give to my class.” Celeste smiled to herself then it faded.

“She sounds like a really cool mom.”

“She is, I mean she was but, Celeste sighed and wrapped her hands around the cup, it’s different now.”

"I get it, have you been back home to see your mom at all?"

Celeste shifted uncomfortably in the chair and shook her head,

"No and I feel terrible about it but it's just hard. When I left she didn't even realize it but then again she didn't really notice when I was there either."

"I can't imagine doing everything that you did for your mom and her not even realizing it. You were taking care of her but no one was there to take care of you, he placed his hand on top of hers, the more I've gotten to know you the more I understand you and respect you."

Celeste leaned over and gave him kiss. She wiped her eyes and let out a deep breath,

"Okay, enough crying. Let's eat, go pick up our paintings and then there's somewhere I want to take you."

Ian raised his brows and tilted his head to the side,

"You want to take me somewhere, she nodded eagerly, can I have a hint?"

Celeste pursed her lips,

"You can but you’re not going to guess it, Ian pouted, okay it's has to do with something that a lot of people used to use but don’t really anymore."

“The bus station?"

Celeste rolled her eyes,

"Yep you figured it out the bus station just screams romance to me."

"Well yeah, the sticky floors, creepy guys in trench coats and smell of urine, hot, Celeste rolled her eyes, okay okay, so it's a place you think is romantic?"

"Yeah I mean it's nice and secluded with a really amazing view."

"Hmm, Ian rubbed his chin then jumped, I know, he got up and stood behind Celeste, you sitting by the window in your bedroom." He swept her hair away from her neck and leaned down, placing tiny kisses along her shoulder.

Celeste reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. She smiled and looked up at him,

"You're unbelievable, he leaned in and kissed her cheek, I guess you'll just have to wait and see."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In the car~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Celeste drove Ian's car with their painting and Sarah's carefully placed in the back. The guy gave her a weird look when she handed him two tickets to pick up their painting.

"A friend of mine asked me to pick hers up too."

Ian gave Celeste a confused look as they drove behind an abandoned building and down a dirt road,

"Okay babe, not gonna lie I'm getting a little worried."

She put her hand on his hand and gently squeezed it,

"Relax babe, she said with emphasis, it's just a little further down the road."

As they were coming over the hill Celeste heard Ian gasp,

“Whoa, what is this place?”

Celeste pulled the car over and parked it in the grass. She turned off the car and undid her seat belt as Ian leaned closer to the windshield,

“It’s just a plot of land where the county puts things that they aren’t using anymore but, I call it the graveyard of forgotten things.”

Julien was the one who brought Celeste there and she had the same apprehension that Ian expressed. At the time they were only living together for about 2 weeks so when Celeste saw the run down building and dirt road, she wanted to bolt from the car.

“Wow, he pointed out the window, is that a telephone booth?”

Celeste nodded,

“Yeah there’s a few of them, wanna get out and walked around a bit?”

“Sure.”

 

“Okay so what do you think my parents would say if I put a telephone booth in the living room?” Ian asked as he pulled Celeste inside. She laughed and drew a heart in the dirt that was on the glass,

“Uh probably something along the lines of, “Get this crap out of my house”, she stepped out and leaned against it, I do think it would be cool to make it into something, like a bookshelf or a place to hang clothes.”

“Maybe that’s what we’ll do in our house.” Ian stood in front of her and gently brushed her hair behind her ear.

“Our house, he nodded, where exactly is our house gonna be?” Celeste decided to entertain the idea of them possibly living together in the future instead of clamming up or looking away.

“Well, Ian took her hand and walked around, our summer house is going to be secluded, somewhere in the mountains but not too deep in the mountains because our kids need to socialize with other kids of course.”

Celeste nodded,

“Of course, also I have this weird, irrational fear of bears, Ian arched his eyebrow, I know it’s weird but I do like the idea of having a nice little cabin, she wrapped her arms around him and looked up, with a wraparound porch and room for a garden.”

“Oh, Ian exclaimed, and a nice little shed for you so you can paint whenever you want.”

They walked past an old, rusted street sign that said Peach Street on it and sat down in the grass next to it. Ian plucked some flowers from the grass and placed them in Celeste’s hair. He took out his phone and snapped a picture of her. Celeste took the flowers out, put them Ian’s hair then got out her phone and took a picture too. She showed it to him and laughed,

“I think this is going to be the background on my phone, she reached over and pinched his cheek, you’re such a pretty boy.”

He shook the flowers out of his hair, put his hands on either side of her face and squeezed her cheeks together,

“I’m nowhere near as pretty as you.”

Celeste pushed his hands away, grabbed a handful of grass and threw it at him. He reached out and put his arm around her. She lightly her fingers up and down his arm,

“Can I ask you a serious question, Ian nodded, do you really want kids and the house and all of that stuff?”

Ian sighed and pursed his lips,

“I don’t know, I mean a month ago I probably would have said no or at least not for a long time but, he looked over at her, things change and I want different things now. Can I ask you the same question?” he tilted his head toward Celeste.

She pressed her fingers against her lips and sighed,

“I guess my answer is the same as yours. I mean I’ve thought about it like a little girl dreams of her perfect wedding with flowers and doves and all that crap, Ian smiled, but I never pictured who I would be marrying besides Devon Sawa.”

“Well I’m not a 90’s heart throb, Celeste laughed and brushed his hair back, but I would love to be the guy you marry, someday.” He added because Celeste’s eyes widened.

Even though they joked about getting married and having kids before, this conversation felt different to Celeste. It felt good to know that her and Ian were able to talk about their future together in a more serious manner. She knew it was too soon to tell but Celeste was trying to turn her anxiety into hope.

Teresa would be proud, she thought to herself as she laid her head on Ian's shoulder surrounded by old cars, parade floats, street signs, manhole covers and all of the other that were forgotten. 

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/b5/53/fb/b553fb72bdd3fb0c191d6a4a4f81fb1f.jpg

IanJReyes0716: "I found that girl with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair."  
OhhhStar17: "Get you a man that quotes Zeppelin lyrics."  
KingStephen009, MinaBoBINA97, LittleFoot693, NehNeh392, JuJuWearsA22 and SweetDaisee99 liked this


	54. Queens And Goddesses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste and Julien talk for a bit. She catches up with the girls and makes plans with them to hang out except for Nehemie who is dealing with some family stuff. 
> 
>  
> 
> **Hey so I realized that I put the wrong name for Kara, the girl Celeste was talking with at the art event and bonded over their disdain for the high school Celeste went to. I called her Sarah for some reason so just something to keep in mind. She's not a main character but I noticed it and wanted to address it. **

After Ian helped carry the paintings inside for Celeste they ended up hanging out on her couch for the rest of the day. Outside the sun was setting, their take out containers were on the table in front of them and Ian was massaging Celeste’s shoulders.

She sighed and leaned her head back against his chest,

“Your hands are magical, Ian laughed and gave her a kiss on her forehead, seriously I mean it, you’re better than a massage chair.”

“And cheaper too, Celeste turned around to face him and sat with her legs on either side of him, I should probably get going.” He laced his fingers with hers and gave her a quick kiss.

Celeste pouted and scooted closer,

“Yeah I need to do some wash or I’m going to have to wear Julien’s underwear to the college tomorrow.”

Ian shrugged his shoulders,

“Or you could just do what I do; Celeste furrowed her brows, go commando.” He winked.

She rolled her eyes and carefully swung her leg over Ian’s head and sat up.

“Okay Romeo, Celeste grabbed his hands and pulled him off the couch, time for you to go.”

He followed her over to the door and gave her a kiss before leaving the apartment. Ten minutes after Ian left, Julien walked in,

“Yes, he threw down his stuff on the counter and grabbed Celeste’s hands, my queen has returned!”

“Your queen, Julien nodded, okay then, so how was your weekend?” Celeste asked as she sat down with Julien at the kitchen table.

“Pretty boring to be honest, Rinaldo and I went out on Friday but we both had to work the next day so we were home by 1. But forget about my weekend, how was your weekend with Ian.” He said putting emphasis on Ian’s name and poking Celeste’s arm.

Celeste swatted his hands away and sat with her legs curled up to her chest,

“It was good, she smiled to herself, it was really good. We had our painting date which turned into us just throwing pain at each other and rolling around on the canvas.”

“Ohh sounds kinky, Julien pointed to the paintings leaning against the wall, you painted two of them?”

“Oh no just the one, the other one belongs to a girl named Kara that I met there, Julien gave her a confused look, I’m going to send her painting to her, it’s a long story but we kind of connected.”

“Aw that’s sweet, so what else did you crazy kids get up to?” Julien batted his eyelashes and leaned his head on his hands.

“Nothing much, we went back to his house, I made him jump in the pool with all of his clothes on and he pulled me in too, Celeste bit her bottom lip, there was some making out. You know normal stuff.”

Julien jumped and clutched his hand to his chest,

“Oh my lord, Celeste Annabelle Drummer, he leaned in, you are completely smitten with that boy, aren’t you?” He asked in a southern belle accent.

Celeste sighed and looked up at the ceiling,

“I think I am, she looked over at Julien, we even talked/joked about getting married.”

“No freaking way, he gasped, oh I know the perfect venue and my friend who works at that boutique could make a wedding dress and…”

Celeste held up her hands and stood up,

“Okay, that’s my cue to leave.”

"Love you Celeste!" Julien hollered.

"Love you too JuJu." she yelled back and went into her room.

 

Celeste sat down at her computer and saw that she was tagged in a photo from the event at the museum. The photo was of her and Ian when they were chasing each other around and throwing paint. He had his arm up, ready to throw a cup of paint onto her head but smiling and looking into her eyes. Celeste had a hold of his arm with her eyes on the cup and giant grin on her face.

She approved the tag and set it as her profile picture. Within seconds she got a message in the group chat.

Mina Saray: OMG she’s alive!!!

Daisy Torres: Gurrrrrl, where have you been?

Celeste Drummer: Haha Hey…sorry I know I kind of went MIA this weekend. I was with Ian and we just hung out and I barely even looked at my phone to be honest.

Mina Saray: Awww that’s so cute…oh by the way my blog post is almost ready and it goes with this month’s theme, Dating and Relationships.

Celeste Drummer: Sounds great! Has anyone heard from Erica and Nehemie?

Erica Wright: I’m here!

Mina Saray: Hey girl!

Daisy Torres: Hey miss Erica, did you ever fix your closet?? LOL

Celeste Drummer: Closet?

Erica Wright: Yeah the shelves in my closet fell down and my clothes wound up on the floor. I sent a picture of me drowning in my clothes to the chat lol

Mina Saray: HAhhaha it was hilarious. I spit my drink out all over my phone! XD

Erica Wright: Haha yeah it was funny, except for the bruise on my arm from the pole hitting me but to answer your question Daisy, yes it is fixed now.

Daisy Torres: You know if you get rid of some of your clothes and donate them to like me for instance you won’t have that problem lol

Mina Saray: Daisy you are way too bootilicious for Erica’s clothes

Erica Wright: She’s right XD

Daisy Torres: Yeah you right lol

Celeste Drummer: Speaking of booty and clothes, how about we go shopping tomorrow? I really want to find some high waisted pants and turn them into shorts that won’t completely show my ass.

Daisy Torres: You have a cute butt though!

Mina Saray: Yeah! And gorgeous legs mama!

Celeste Drummer: STOP! We are all beautiful women!

Daisy Torres: Hell yeah we are!

Mina Saray: QUEENS!

Daisy Torres: GODDESSES!

Erica Wright: Ohhhh I like that! HAha okay I gotta go finish hanging up my clothes. Pray that it doesn’t fall again XD

Daisy Torres: HahaHAH be careful girl! Good night! :)

Mina Saray: Night girl!

Celeste Drummer: G’night Erica!!

Daisy Torres: I’m going to go too. See you goddesses tomorrow :)

Celeste Drummer: See you!!

Mina Saray: Good night queen!

Mina Saray: Hey want a ride tomorrow? We can get some Starbucks on our way and you can tell me about your weekend with your boo :)

Celeste Drummer: HAHa okay sure. Ian could probably use a break from me anyway lol

Mina Saray: As someone who is dating his best friend, I can tell you that ain’t true girl. That boy is so into you.

Celeste Drummer: I know but we spent the whole weekend together and I miss my girls.

Daisy Torres: WE MISS YOU TOO…sorry I’m going to go now for real :)

Mina Saray: Hahaha omg Daisy! And yeah it’s true you’ve been hanging with your boo a lot but I totally understand. It’s exciting being in new relationship and especially for you because it’s your first one.

Celeste Drummer: Ha yup it is and exciting is definitely one word to describe it lol

Mina Saray: HAha well just remember you go your girls if you need any advice or tips for when things get really exciting.

Celeste Drummer: Oh god HAHAA well thanks but so far everything is fine and I don’t need that sort of advice…yet.

Mina Saray: Haha okay girl! I’ll pick you up around 7:30 tomorrow?

Celeste Drummer: Sounds good! Night girl :)

Mina Saray: Good night!

 

Celeste closed her laptop, changed into her pajamas and settled into her bed. Just as she was about to turn over and go to sleep her phone vibrated against the dresser. She reached over, knocked it onto the floor and groaned. Celeste reached under her bed and grabbed it.

Ian Reyes: Hey I know you’re probably in bed but I wanted say thank you for spending the weekend with me. It was amazing and every second I was with you I couldn’t stop smiling. You’re awesome and wonderful and beautiful and funny and smart and sexy and I’m just so glad I’m with you. Okay I’m going to go to sleep now. Good night babe :) <3

Instead of answering him Celeste smiled to herself, placed her phone back on its charger and went to sleep thinking about Ian and how lucky she was that he was her boyfriend.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/45/47/0a/45470af9a242395b0ae931d4dfa6d2f7.jpg

NehNeh392: God I hate hospitals  
MinaBoBINA97: I'm here if you need to talk girl.  
OhhhStar17: Sending love and light your way. Hope everything is okay.  
SweetDaisee99: We love you Neh!!  
LiitleFoot693: <3 you Neh!!


	55. Dressing Like A Bratz Doll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste and the others witness a protest at the college which prompts a conversation between Ian and Celeste. The girls go shopping together and decide to challenge themselves.
> 
>  
> 
> **Sorry for being MIA. I just haven't been feeling very inspired to write this story and I would rather wait to write something good then force myself to write something and not have it be any good. But I got some inspiration to write more for this fic and hopefully I'll keep writing**

The next morning Mina picked Celeste up and complimented her on her outfit as soon as she got into Mina's car,

“Ohh look at you in your cute little jumpsuit, Mina pointed to Celeste’s outfit, it looks so good on you.”

Celeste put on her seat belt and put her book bag down by her feet,

“Thanks, it’s actually my mom’s.”

“Wow your mom’s got good style. Okay tell me everything that happened this weekend with Ian.” Mina looked over her shoulder and merged into the flow of traffic.

Celeste smiled to herself and looked over at Mina. It felt good to have someone be this excited for her. Celeste was just as excited too but as she gushed to Mina about her weekend with Ian her excitement diminished. Ever since she was about 10 or so, Celeste feared being happy because something bad always followed.

Her dad took her out for ice cream one day and it was one of the best days she ever had with him. A week later he called her to tell her he was in Florida with a new woman and her family. Celeste cried so much she threw up and had her first panic attack. She was only 10.

When Celeste was 13 a boy named Chris kissed her on the cheek behind the bleacher during gym class and it put a smile on her face for a while, a week later her mom was diagnosed.

When she was 15 a video of her dancing was played on national T.V and one of her favorite choreographers had a Skype session with her and told her if she ever came to New York Celeste should contact her because she was interested in working with Celeste. A few days after that was Halloween when Josh groped her and Celeste’s body issues got worse.

It was a pattern and she feared it more than anything.

“But I know I really shouldn’t get ahead of myself, Celeste lowered her gaze, its barely been a month.”

For some reason saying that out loud made her feel better and the panic slowly went away. As long as she didn’t admit to herself that she was happy and excited, nothing bad would follow.

“Hey same for me and Stephen but he’s been a better boyfriend to me in that short amount of time than any of the guys I’ve dated, Mina leaned toward Celeste, he got me flowers the other day, just because. I never got flowers even on special occasions from my ex’s.”

“That’s really sweet, Celeste smiled then her eyes got wide, oh did you finish your article for the blog?”

“Yup, it just needs the Celeste seal of approval.”

“Awesome, I really want to try and start posting more, maybe up to three a week, Celeste winced, I know it’s a lot but the blog is really going to help me get that internship.”

“Well if anyone can do it, it’s you, Mina pulled up to the drive-thru window and looked over at Celeste, what do you want?”

“Uhh I’ll get a iced chai latte with soy milk, a shot of espresso and two pumps of vanilla, Celeste handed Mina a twenty dollar bill, it’s on me you get whatever you want.”

“Girl, you are too good to me.”

When Mina pulled into the parking lot she parked next to Daisy who was getting out of her car. Mina rolled down her window and yelled,

“Hey girl, those heels make your legs look miles long.”

Daisy tossed her hair over her shoulder and strutted over to Mina’s car,

“Thank you hun, she leaned in the window and kicked her feet, they’re probably going to hurt my feet later but they are so cute. Speaking of cute, she motioned to Celeste, look at you.”

“Thanks girl, Celeste and Mina got out of the car, do you want a sip?” Celeste offered her drink to Daisy but she shook her head,

“No thanks, she patted her stomach, I’m trying to cut back on sugar and keep this summer bod.”

Mina rolled her eyes,

“Oh please you’re gorgeous and it’s going to be winter soon and I am so ready for it, Mina clapped her hands together, I want hot chocolate and comfy clothes.”

Celeste and Daisy looked at each other and laughed,

“You do know that hot chocolate and comfy clothes aren’t just winter things, you can enjoy them year round.” Celeste tossed out the rest of her drink as they passed by a trash can on their way in to the front door.

She paused briefly to grab her phone out of her back pocket and saw that she had a text from Ian

 

Ian Reyes: “Good morning! You look beautiful today :)”

Celeste glanced around as she walked into cafeteria but she didn’t see Ian

Celeste Drummer: “Good morning to you too. Where are you?”

Ian Reyes: “Just pulling into parking lot now.”

Celeste Drummer: “So how do you know what I look like today?”

Ian Reyes: “Oh, I know. Heading to the café now. See you soon.”

Celeste followed Mina and Daisy to their usual table and sat down. She was too busy talking to Daisy to notice Ian sneak up behind her, 

"See, I knew you looked beautiful today, Ian put his arm around Celeste and waved to everyone, hey all."

Everyone said hi but Mina was distracted by what was going on in the corner of cafeteria. Two people started arguing as a crowd formed around them.

"What's going on over there?" Daisy stretched her neck and pushed Celeste out of the way.

"I think there's some sort of protest going on, Celeste looked up at Ian, I saw a bunch of girls carrying signs as I was walking in."

"Clothes do not define consent!" The group started chanting and people started pulling out there phones and taking pictures of the girls as they marched outside in bikinis holding there signs.

"I mean I get their message but what is marching around in a bikini going to do. People are just going to take a bunch of photos and post them or spread them around." Ian turned back to the girls and was met with a sea of disappointed faces.

"That is the point though. It shouldn't matter and the fact that if a girl wears a certain amount of clothing means that people will treat her different is disgusting and, Celeste stopped and glanced around noticing a small crowd was listening to her speak, it's just wrong, can we go now please?" Celeste grabbed Ian's hand and kept her head down as she walked out of the cafeteria.

Once they got on the elevator together Ian apologized to Celeste,

"Look, I'm sorry about what I said. I guess I should've just kept my mouth shut because I've never experienced what they're protesting about."

Celeste shook her head and sighed,

"No it's fine it's just I have experienced what they're protesting about so I understand where they're coming from but I can also see how it wouldn't make sense to you. I shouldn't have overreacted, I'm sorry."

Ian got off the elevator with Celeste and put his arm around her,

"You don't need to apologize for anything. If you feel a certain way about something it's good for me to know that and educate myself so I don't sound like a dumb ass in the future."  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The encounter in the cafeteria put Celeste in a weird mood. She didn't even realize she felt so strongly. As Celeste walked out of the classroom Ian reached for her hand and walked over to the stairwell,

"Where are we going?" She nearly tripped over her own feet to keep up with him.

"We're going to eat lunch off campus, before Celeste could object Ian kissed her, don't worry we'll make it back in time, I promise.”

“Okay as long as we’re back on time. Mina wants me to go over her article before she posts.”

“No problem, it’s not far from here. As a matter of fact, we can walk there.”

Celeste gave him a confused look as they walked up to the cross walk and waited for the light to change.

Ian and Celeste ordered three hard shell tacos each and sat outside the restaurant to eat them. 

"Okay so I didn't just bring you out to lunch for the tacos."

Celeste stopped mid bite and looked up at Ian. She laid her taco down and pulled her chair in closer to the table,

"Yeah I kind of figured that because you haven't even eaten one of your tacos." Celeste pointed to his plate.

He scooted in closer and waited till a group of teens walked past to speak,

"I know some things are hard for you to talk about, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, but I want to try and understand why you got so upset earlier."

She grabbed her drink and chewed on her straw. Ian lowered his head to look in her eyes. Celeste sighed and sat back in her chair,

"I'm not sure you can but I'll try to explain it to you in a way that makes sense , he nodded and she continued, when you get up in the morning and you walk over to your closet what do you think about when you pick out your clothes?”

“Uh well I guess I check the weather to see what it’s going to be like and decide if I need lighter shirt or a heavier one. I like the color blue so I wear a lot of blue shirts.”

“When I pick out what I’m going to wear I think about the weather too . If it’s warm I might pick out a skirt and hold it up to me to see how short it is. If it goes above my knees chances are I won’t wear it and even if it doesn’t I still wear a pair of bicycle shorts underneath them just in case some guy tries to look up my skirt because you know how dare I wear something and feel comfortable enough to not have another protective layer underneath.”

“That’s, Ian sighed and looked over at Celeste, terrible that you feel that way.”

“After you get dressed, what do you do to your hair?”

“I brush it and maybe put some gel or mousse into it.”

“I do the same thing except on really hot days I wanna put my hair up but I can’t do that because I was taught in a self- defense class that if I wear my hair in a ponytail it makes it easier for someone to grab me and harder to get away, Ian rubbed his hands across his face, you wanted to know.”

“I did, he pinched the bridge of his nose, I mean I do I just had no idea you had to worry about stuff like that. It’s messed up. “

“It is but that’s been my reality for a long time and a lot of other girls too. Right before you leave the house what do you make sure you always have with you?”

“Well my keys or I’m not going to get far, then my phone and my wallet.”

“I have a few extra things that I can’t leave the house without. I can’t leave without my headphones because they are the only reasonable excuse I have when strange guys try to talk to me while I’m waiting for the bus or walking anywhere really. I also can’t leave without my keys because my pepper spray is dangling right next to them, she held up her lanyard and showed him, and next to that is this thing I can put between my fingers and stab someone if they ever grabbed me. You see this is why it shouldn’t matter. This is why I got so upset because it doesn’t matter what women wear, our bodies don’t feel like they belong to us whether were showing it off in a bikini or putting on extra layers to protect ourselves.”

“You know what, you’re right. I didn’t see it that way before and I think it’s because I’ve never really thought about it. I never had to think about it and the fact that you have for so many years isn’t right, he reached his hand out and put it on top of hers, Celeste I’m sorry and I never want you to feel like your body doesn’t belong to you when you’re with me. If I ever overstep and make you feel uncomfortable you need to call me out on that shit because I don’t always think with my brain first.”

“I know and I promise I will. I’ve never been this honest with someone before ad it feels really good to talk about these things with you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
After their lunch, Celeste met up with Mina in the cafeteria before they went to class. Celeste sat down next to Mina and plopped her book bag down,

“Hey, sorry I’m late.”

Mina shook her head and opened her laptop,

“Don’t worry about it, okay so this is what I have, Mina pushed her laptop towards Celeste, so where did you guys go to eat?”

“Oh we just went to the Mexican restaurant around the corner, Celeste skimmed Mina’s post looking for any grammatical errors, just need to fix this and add a comma here. There, looks good. Do you want me to post it or do you want to do the honors.” Celeste motioned to Mina’s laptop.

“Nah you can do it, Mina scratched her head and laughed, I don’t think it’s going to get as many reads as your posts.”

“Why not?”

“Well I don’t think many people here are going to want to read about interracial dating, Mina glanced around, I don’t think this is the right demographic for it if you catch my drift.”

“Well you never know, people may surprise you, Celeste published Mina’s post and turned the computer towards her, there you go. Neh did a really good job with the layout, speaking of her, is she okay?”

Mina sighed and packed up her stuff,

“Yeah she’s okay. Someone in her family has been having health issues so she’s been taking care of them and also her brothers and sister and cousins, Mina shook her head, it’s a mess.”

“Wow, I didn’t realize she had all of that going on.”

“Yeah she doesn’t like to talk about her family and stuff, she’s pretty private when it comes to stuff like that, Mina glanced at her phone and stood up, we should probably head to class.”

 

After class Mina and Celeste met up with Erica and Daisy in the cafeteria. She was a little surprised to see Ian and Stephen sitting there at the table. Mina walked up to Stephen and draped her arms over his shoulders,

“Hey babe, she kissed him on the cheek, what are you guys up to?”

“Well we were talking about doing a trip together, Ian wrapped his arm around Celeste’s waist, you know one more hurrah before it gets too cold.”

Celeste put her arm around Ian and looked around the table,

“Yeah, sounds good. What were you guys thinking, another beach trip?”

“No we were thinking something a little more outdoorsy, like camping.” Stephen pulled Mina onto his lap.

“Uh Daisy hates the woods, Ian gave Celeste a confused look, too many bugs.”

Daisy shrugged her shoulders and smiled,

“I’m willing to risk it, besides Ian said he has a cabin so we don’t actually have to sleep outside.”

“Okay, well we can talk more about it later, Celeste leaned in and gave Ian a kiss, we’re going to go shopping at the thrift store.”

“Alright well Stephen and I are meeting Jay at the gym, Ian stood up and kissed her cheek, call you later.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ At the thrift store~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Ohhh I love this camo jacket, Daisy placed it up to her and turned towards the mirror, what do you guys think?” she turned around to face everyone.

Erica’s head popped up over the clothing rack,

“I don’t know, I can’t see it, Daisy walked into the same aisle as Erica, oh yeah that looks super cute.”

Celeste held up a long black dress with white flowers and long slit up the side in front of her and looked at herself in the mirror,

“Girl that is so cute, Mina appeared in the mirror behind her, I can definitely picture you wearing that with like a cute straw hat and some flats, totally your vibe.”

“You think, Daisy, Erica and Mina nodded, it is cute and it’s half off everything.”

“Everything, Daisy shouted, damn I’m totally getting this jacket then.”

“Oh my god you guys, Erica held up a giant dark green fur coat with silver tinsel embedded in it, this jacket is ridiculous.”

“No, no, Mina held up a pair of pants with blue giant sequins dangling from the cuff of the jeans, these pants are ridiculous.”

“I’ve got an idea, Celeste placed the long dress into their cart, let’s each pick out the craziest thing we can find, buy it and wear it to class.”

“Erica shrugged her shoulder and pointed to Mina,

“Well we’ve got ours already, you and Daisy need to find something.”

“Oh I found mine, Daisy held up a two piece top and pants in a highlighter yellow color, if I wear a black beanie I can look like a banana.”

Celeste searched through the racks until Mina yelled,

“I got it, she held up a pair of iridescent pants with black suspenders, I need to see you wear these.”

Celeste took them from Mina and looked them up and down,

“I’m probably going to have to wear some shorts underneath but, she held them up to her, I guess I can try to wear em.”

Mina pulled her phone out and motioned for everyone to come to her,

“Hey guys, Neh wants to face time. “

Everyone crowded around Mina’s phone and waved to Nehemie,

“Hey Neh, we miss you girl!” Daisy shouted.

Nehemie smiled and waved back,

“Miss you too, what are you guys up to?”

Mina held up the pants she found and passed the phone around so everyone could show Nehemie what they found at the thrift store,

“Daisy girl that yellow is so bright and Celeste aren’t those a little see through?”

“Yeah don’t worry I will be wearing shorts underneath them. What till you see what we got you, Daisy handed Celeste the brooch they found, tada!”

“Wow that is very sparkly, is that a frog?”

Mina nodded and laughed,

“Yup, don’t you love it Neh?” she winked.

“Well I don’t hate it, it’s not see through and it doesn’t look like you got it off of a Bratz doll. I wish I was there with you guys right now.”

“We wish you were here too Neh, Erica took the phone so Mina could look through more racks, how is everything?”

“It’s okay, I don’t really want to talk about it right now but I’ll be going to my classes tomorrow so we can talk then.”

Daisy took the phone from Erica,

“Okay good, just remember if you need us we’re here for you.”

“Thank you guys so much, I gotta go but I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Daisy held out the phone so everyone could say good bye to Neh then gave it back to Mina. The girls paid for their stuff and left the shop.

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a2/a3/f8/a2a3f887aede4b28d75277687539d6ed.jpg

LittleFoot693: Shopping with my girls :)  
SweetDaisee99:: I can't wait to see you in that green jacket. Looking like a boss :P  
MinaBoBINA97: I'm going to look like a damn disco ball! XD  
OhhhStar17: The boss, the banana, the disco ball, the raver and the frog XD


	56. Clam Chowder and Racists

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste comes home and gets an unpleasant surprise when she reads the comments on Mina's latest post. She face times with Ian and shows him her new purchase. While messaging Mina, Celeste realizes she never told the girl about her mom.

Celeste came home, threw the clothes she got at the thrift store into the wash and re-heated some chicken and pasta for a late dinner. After she edited some photos she took when her and Ian went to the graveyard of forgotten things, Celeste checked on Mina’s blog post.

“Woah, she scrolled down to read the comments, oh that’s not good. Oh my god.” Celeste read the comments to herself and tagged the ones that were inappropriate which was more than she expected.

As the admin of the blog Celeste could delete comments and even though she’s done it before, it was never that many and most of the times it was just spam bots leaving comments. This time it was people commenting on Mina’s preference for white males and how that wasn’t “natural”

Celeste wasn’t sure if Mina saw them and she hoped she hadn’t. In addition to deleting the comments, Celeste flagged the users so that if they tried to comment on the post again or any other posts it had to be approved by her first.

As she cleaned up her dishes and washed the ones that were in the sink, her phone rang. Celeste wiped her hands off and answered her phone,

“Hello?”

“Hey, is this a bad time?”

Celeste smiled and plopped down on the couch,

“Nope I was just washing some dishes, what are you up to?”

“Well I could show you if we FaceTime.”

“Um sure just one question, do you have clothes on right now?”

Ian laughed,

“Yes I have clothes on, I swear.”

“Okay.”

Celeste propped her phone up on the back of the couch by using a pillow to prop it up. Ian appeared on the screen with a snail in his hand,

“I’m cleaning out their cage and Flowers wanted to say hi to you.”

Celeste rolled her eyes and waved,

“Hi Flowers, she shook her head, you’re such a weirdo. But since we’re showing things to each other, Celeste got up and took the phone with her to the laundry room, I bought these, she held up the iridescent pants, today at the thrift shop.”

“Why are you planning on going to a rave out in the desert?” Ian laughed.

Celeste shook her head,

“Nope, she walked back over to the couch, I’m going to wear them to class sometime this week. We all bought some crazy things today and I had the idea of trying to wear them to college.”

“Haha that’s awesome, too bad you can’t find another pair, we could match and be those couples.”

“Yikes. Celeste placed her phone down on the table in front of her, yeah we don’t want to be those couples. Hey have you checked out the blog today?”

Ian’s face froze on Celeste’s phone and the words didn’t match his lips,

“No I haven’t, I , his face glitched then started again, to the gym and came home.”

“Oh okay, I was just wondering because people were commenting nasty things on Mina’s post.”

“What, really?”

“Yeah I was surprised too, I mean I can’t believe people were that offended by her talking about dating white guys.”

“Well some people are arrogant assholes. Did Mina see the comments?”

Celeste shook her head,

“I don’t think so, the front door opened behind her, I deleted them as soon as I saw them.”

“Well that’s good, Julien appeared behind Celeste, hey Julien.” Ian waved.

Julien moved Celeste’s feet and sat down next to her,

“Hey Ian, what are you kids up to?”

The conversation changed to what happened to Julien at work but Celeste was still thinking about the comments that were left on Mina’s post. When she hung up with Ian and told him he would see her tomorrow, Julien bumped her shoulder with his,

“What’s with the mood?”

She sighed ran her fingers through her hair,

“Mina made a post on the blog about her preference for dating white guys and the comments were not good.”

“Yikes, Julien placed a pillow in his lap, yeah that’ll piss off the racists people. What did you do?”

“I deleted them because I didn’t want Mina to read them. I honestly didn’t even think about something like this happening but Mina did mention that the college wasn’t the right demographic for her story.”

“Yeah that kind of makes sense but still it’s so sad that there are people like that and I bet you those people didn’t even read the whole post, Julien sighed and rolled his eyes, some people are just so stuck in their ways, he stood up and patted Celeste’s shoulder, I’m going to go take a shower so I can stop smelling like clam chowder.”

Celeste should have been working on her other assignments but she kept switching tabs on her computer and checking the blog for any more comments, luckily there weren’t any more to delete. As she finished up her assignment for her PR and Advertising class she decided to send Mina a message to see if she was finished and also to see if she said anything about her post.

Celeste Drummer: Hey girl! Have you finished your newsletter for our homework?

Mina Saray: Hey! I’m working on it right now. I was doing my Statistics homework which took forever...ugh!

Celeste Drummer: Yikes! Yeah I’m so lucky I don’t have to take a Math class yet. So what do you think you’re final project is going to be?

Mina Saray: Girl I have no freaking idea!! I can’t believe this semester is over in a month?! That’s crazy?!

Celeste Drummer: I know right?! I’ve been looking at writing jobs but there aren’t too many around here.

Mina Saray: What about the internship?

Celeste Drummer: That’s not for a while so in the mean time I have to find something.

Mina Saray: Yeah same here. I’ll tell you what though, I really don’t want to go back to working in a doctor’s office. It was bad. Every time someone coughed or sneezed I thought I was going to get sick too.

Celeste Drummer: I can only imagine. I’ve only had one job and I can’t go back to it.

Mina Saray: Yeah you mentioned that before, where did you work again?

A jolt of panic shot through her because Celeste realized she never told Mina or the girls about her mom and she didn’t want to do it over their chat.

Celeste Drummer: I was an at home caretaker for an older woman with dementia.

It wasn’t a complete lie so she didn’t feel too bad until Celeste told everyone the truth.

Mina Saray: Oh wow that must have been rough. My grandmother has that and we had to put her in a home last year, it was really sad.

When Celeste’s dad brought up the idea of putting her mother in a home she didn’t even listen to him. He just didn’t want to feel bad for not helping at all, despite being with her mother for years and having a kid with her. Her mom never got married to her dad but they were together long enough for Celeste;s mom to be considered his common law wife.

Celeste Drummer: Yeah it was. Listen I gotta finish this up and head to bed. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.

Mina Saray: Okay girl good night!!

https://www.yourtango.com/2017300182/15-interracial-dating-quotes-show-far-weve-really-come

MinaBoBINA97: Not everyone will agree and that's okay but no one will ever change my opinion #BWWM  
SweetDaisee99: Yes GIRL!! Preach!  
KingStephen009: Me either <3  
NehNeh392: Don't let the ignorance of others get you down mamma!


	57. I'm So Single

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starting out with a bit of Ian's POV because I haven't written anything from it for a while, he notices Celeste seems stress and suggests they go out the next night. Then switching back to Celeste and the rest of the girls hearing about Neh's absence and Celeste starts thinking about her own mother. 
> 
> I have a lot written for this story but I feel like I need some simple prompts to help pieces the bigger parts together. Maybe if anyone has suggestions you can comment them. Dialogue prompts work too. I just need to write about the daily stuff in her life like going to class and therapy and stuff like that.
> 
> Thanks!

Ian’s POV

One of the awesome things about dating Celeste was that she did the stuff that guys were supposed to in a relationship, Ian thought to himself when he woke up to a good morning text from her. He had never woken up to good morning texts or had a girlfriend who offered to pay for his coffee and Celeste did those things. She was so generous and kind to everyone she met. Even when she was having a bad day she didn’t let it affect other people.

Ian was getting better at reading her emotions though. Like as soon as she got in the car, he could tell something was wrong. She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek,

“Good morning.”

Ian reached his hand out and tucked her hair behind her ear,

“Good morning to you, he pulled out of the parking spot and reached for her hand, how’d you sleep?”

“Good, she said too fast then smiled, I mean I slept fine. How about you?”

“Ehh not bad, my mom and dad were there this morning when I woke up which was a huge un-welcomed surprise.”

“What happened?”

Ian shrugged his shoulders,

“Nothing really, they asked how my classes were and I said fine. Then they asked why I haven’t been home much and I told them that was hypocritical question and left.”

Celeste’s pursed her lips and nodded,

“I see, she winced, can I ask when was the last time you had a conversation with your parents that lasted more than five minutes?”

He sighed and shook his head,

“Honestly I don’t know, maybe last Thanksgiving. I just feel like I don’t know how to talk to them without it turning into an argument.”

“I get it and I wish I could give you some really great advice but I’m in the same boat as you when it comes to my dad. I haven’t talked to him in over a year.”

“Do you miss talking to your Dad?”

Ian saw Celeste shifted uncomfortably in her seat,

“I don’t know, it’s hard to say because we’ve never had that great of a relationship to begin with. He wasn’t around when I was a baby and when he was it was only because whatever girlfriend he had at the time kicked him out and he begged my mom to stay with us. He just complicates everything.”

“It’s okay if you miss him ya know. No matter what, he is your dad.”

“I know it’s just better this way for the both of us, trust me.”

“I do, Ian grabbed her hand and kissed it, you know it’s his loss not having you in his life because you’re pretty awesome.”

Ian pulled into a parking spot and turned off the car. Celeste leaned across the center and kissed him with an urgency he’d never felt from her before. He got caught up in the moment, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her out of her seat to sit on his lap. That thing that normally stopped him and reminded him that Celeste was different from the girls he’s been with slowly diminished as she gripped the collar of his shirt and rolled her hips towards him.

“Wait, he laughed and leaned his forehead against hers, this isn’t exactly the most comfortable place for a hot make out session and there’s a very big part of me that is upset I’m saying this.”

Celeste laughed and laid her head against his chest. She leaned back and gently ran her fingers through his hair,

“Yeah you’re probably right, Celeste gave him a kiss on the cheek, we should probably head inside.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Meeting the girls in the cafe before her class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste’s POV

“Wow, it’s even worse in person.” Nehemie held up the sparkly frog broach up to the light.

“Trust me Neh, you got off easy. How the hell am I supposed to wear see through overalls?” Celeste asked the group but mostly herself.

Mina pursed her lips and shrugged her shoulders,

“Hey it was your idea.”

Everyone nodded and Celeste cracked a smile,

“Yeah it was, okay let’s make a pact right now to wear our clothes tomorrow, no exceptions and no backing out.” Celeste extended her arm and curled her fingers into a fist.

“I ain’t no punk!” Daisy bumped her fist into Celeste’s.

“As long as we look ridiculous together, I’m in.” Erica said.

“I like a challenge so I’m going to wear it and look fine as hell.” Mina threw her hair over her shoulder.

Everyone looked at Neh, she rolled her eyes and sighed,

“Fine I will wear the hideous broach, Neh’s smile slowly faded, it feels really good to be here with you guys. It’s been really rough for me these last few days.”

Mina put her arm around Nehemie and Celeste placed her hand on top of hers,

“Don’t worry Neh, we’re here for you if you want to talk or not, it’s totally up to you.”

“Yeah you can talk to us about anything.” Daisy winked and bumped her shoulder into Neh’s

“I know and I really appreciate all of you it’s just, she paused and took a deep breath, it’s so hard to see my mom like that. She’s normally so strong, she’s the rock, she keeps everyone in line and I just hate feeling like this. Like there’s nothing I can actually to help her.” Neh let out a deep sigh and shook her head.

“You are helping her though. You’re taking care of your family and that’s the best way to help her Neh. It’s like you said, your mom is strong and so are you. You’re going to get through this.” Mina smiled.

Celeste got up to give Neh a hug, along with everyone else,

“Okay enough hugging before I really start crying and ruin my mascara.”

She handed Neh a tissue and gave her shoulder a slight squeeze. Celeste knew what it felt like to want to help someone who was sick and ultimately not be able to do anything, Looking into Neh’s eyes she saw a lot of herself and the things she never really dealt with when it came to her own mother.

“I gotta head to class. Are we still going back to my place for a study session?”

“I’m down, Daisy grabbed her bag and followed Celeste, did you make any treats for us?”

“Nope but maybe we can stop at the store and grab some stuff.” Celeste shrugged and leaned her back against the wall outside the cafeteria.

“Sounds good but I can’t stay too long.” Neh lowered her voice.

“No problem, we can take my car and Daisy’s because I have to leave early too.” Mina smiled.

“Got a date with your boo.” Daisy teased and poked Mina’s cheek. She swatted Daisy’s hand away and tossed her hair over her shoulder.

“As a matter of face, I do.”

“Bleh you too are so cute and I’m so single.” Daisy whined and put her head on Erica’s shoulder. Erica patted Daisy’s head,

“There, there let’s head to class so were not the late and have to sit all the way in the back and guess what Mr. Freedman is trying to say.”

“Yeah that dude needs a megaphone, see you guys.” Daisy looped her arm through Erica’s and walked towards the double doors that lead to the outside.

Celeste slipped into class and took a seat next to Ian. He leaned over and whispered,

“You’re late.”

She rolled her eyes and took out her notebook,

“I know.” she mocked his tone of voice.

He stuck his tongue out at her then directed his gaze to the front of the room. Ms. Anderson discussed what the final project was going to be for their class,

“Okay I know we talked about a little bit about the final project before and most of you have a pretty good idea of what you want to do. I’m going to hand out a rubric on how I’ll be grading it. If you have any questions feel free to ask.”

“So what are you plans for tomorrow night?” Ian asked as Celeste walked out of class with him.

“I have therapy tomorrow after my classes but after that I’m free, why?”

“Well I was thinking we could go out, maybe to a movie, dinner anywhere you want?”

“Okay, Celeste laughed, it’s a little weird to do in the middle of the week, date night is normally like a Friday or so I’ve read in books.”

Ian turned and put his arms around Celeste,

“That’s true but you seemed a bit stressed this morning so I figured why wait till the weekend?” he shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

“Okay, dinner sounds good.”

“Great, he kissed her on the cheek, I’m going to get a quick work out in before my next class.”

Celeste smiled to herself and headed to the computer lab to finish editing her photos for her art and photography class. The latest assignment was to photograph and paint the same thing but to not use either as a reference for the other. She chose to use some of her plants and a statue of a bird along with a few other items from nature to photograph and paint. The photo turned out darker than she wanted so she wanted to edit them before handing them in.

 

photo credit: https://i.pinimg.com/564x/a6/30/5d/a6305dbf93f486a471bdf67c52674e4b.jpg


	58. SexxiSami and Gummy Bears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste lets her jealousy get the best of her and doesn't want to admit how much it bothers her. She also opens up about her mom to the girls while they're having a study session at her apartment.

Celeste sat down at one of the computers and waited for it to boot up. After taking more than five minutes she decided to open her phone and mindlessly scroll through her feed. The first picture that popped up was of her from the weekend when Ian and her went to the museum. Celeste was about to like the photo and leave a comment when she saw someone already left one.

SexxiSami23: Hey stranger, miss you! Call me sometime *kissy face* *heart*

Something in her chest tightened. She wanted to know who this “SexxiSami” was, more importantly Celeste wanted to see what she looked like. Her profile was public and she had close to thirty thousand followers. Sexxi Sami looked like the type of girl whose only job was to be beautiful, and she was. Her hair was long and blonde and looked like the type of hair that never got tangled. Her eyes were ice blue and her lips were full and pouty. Sexxi Sami and Celeste appearance wise, were complete opposites.

Celeste’s photos were more artsy or of other people, Sexxi Sami’s photos were all selfies of her in natural lighting. A photo of her on the beach in a pink and white polka dot bikini with the caption “Having fun in the sun -xo Sami<3” or a photo of her at a café outside with the caption, “Coffee date with Mom-xo Sami<3.”

The more Celeste scrolled through her photos the worst she felt about herself.

“Hey Celeste, she jumped and turned toward the person who sat down next to her, sorry didn’t mean to scare ya.” Zara laughed and laid her bag down on the table.

“No it’s fine you actually saved me from spiraling down a black hole of self-loathing.” Celeste put her phone away and logged onto the computer.

Zara nodded and turned on her computer,

“Oh well in that case you’re welcome, she leaned in closer, is everything okay?”

“Yeah I just, Celeste sighed and rolled her eyes, I just spent fifteen minutes stalking some girl’s pictures because she commented on one of Ian’s photos.”

“What did she say?”

Celeste took out her phone and showed it to Zara,

“Oh, okay yeah I probably would have done the same thing if she commented on my SO’s photo, she handed the phone back to Celeste, and how does Ian know her?”

“I have no clue, she put her phone away and shook her head, okay I’m going to try not to think about it and focus, Celeste motioned to the computer screen, on these photos.”

“Good idea, Zara picked up her phone, looked at it and smiled, I’m going to do the same and stop getting distracted.”

Celeste looked at Zara’s phone, which was vibrating against the table, then glanced up at her,

“Someone is popular.”

Zara picked up her phone, smiled then glanced over at Celeste,

“Oh it’s nothing, just dumb notifications, Zara looked over at Celeste’s computer screen, oh wow, how’d you add that drop shadow to your picture?”

Celeste helped Zara with her photo, finished editing her own and talked with Zara until it was time for them to head to class.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~After Class~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Who's Sexxi Sami?" Daisy asked when Celeste got in the car.

Celeste put her bookbag down on Daisy’s moderately cleaned floor and rolled her eyes,

“It’s no one, just some girl who commented on one of Ian’s pictures.”

 Before Daisy could say something Erica got in the back seat out of breath,

“Hey sorry I’m late, she leaned in between the seats, looked at Celeste then Daisy, did I interrupt something?”

Celeste shook her head but Daisy nodded,

“Yeah I was just asking Celeste who this chica is commenting on Ian’s pictures and saying she misses him and to call him because it is very obvious that he is in a relationship and that shit is not okay, Daisy held up her hands, sorry had to say it.”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“It’s not a big deal, it doesn’t bother me so let’s just stop talking about it, kay?”

Erica sat back and nodded,

“Whatever you say.”

Daisy sighed and started her car,

“Okay but just for the record you are so much prettier than her and real. I mean look at her, Daisy stopped and put her phone down, never mind let’s just forget about her and focus on passing these tests because I cannot take this class a third time.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~At Celeste's Apartment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay, “The laryngeal prominence (Adam's apple) is the central prominence on the blank.”  Celeste asked Daisy and popped a gummy bear in her mouth.

Daisy sat across from Celeste on the floor with her books spread out on the table. Neh was on the couch quizzing Erica on French and Mina was typing up her paper and reading it to them for feedback.

“Uhh, Daisy leaned over to look at her book but Celeste pulled it away, is it the thyroid cartilage?”

“Yup it is.”

“Yes, she reached her hand into a bag of gummy bears, two gummy bears for me for getting that right. Okay give me a harder one.”

“Alright, Celeste scanned Daisy’s notes, how about this one for three gummy bears “Place the following pharyngeal regions in the proper sequence as air passes through them on its way to the trachea, oropharynx, nasopharynx and laryngopharynx.”

“Okay so nasopharynx is obviously first, Daisy chewed on her pen and glanced up at Neh, then its oropharynx and last is laryngopharynx. Ha! Gimme those gummy bears.”

Celeste shook her head and pulled the bag away,

“I saw that Neh, she looked up at her, I saw you mouth “O”.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I was just yawning.”

Celeste grabbed a gummy bear and threw it at Neh. Neh threw it at Erica,

“Hey, ne me lance pas ça. (Hey, don’t throw that at me)” Erica chucked the gummy bear onto the table and Daisy ate it.

“Hey you didn’t earn that gummy bear?”

Daisy took a handful and put them in her mouth.

“Hey guys how does this sound, Mina sat her laptop down, Women owned businesses not only fit the criteria of a successful business by they also surpass that and have become a beacon of hope for young female entrepreneurs. It wasn’t that long ago women were discouraged from entering the workforce and now they are redefining it.”

Celeste clapped her hands together along with Daisy, Neh and Erica.

“Yes girl, Daisy held up her hands, preach!”

 Mina rolled her eyes,

“Okay now I just need to interview a woman that owns her own business then it’ll be done.”

“You can interview my mom; she runs her own business, Salsa Torres. She makes her own salsas and sauces. It’s only in a few stores but she’s expanding and trying to find a bigger space to make and package everything.”

“Wow really, Daisy nodded, that’s so cool. How come you haven’t mentioned it before?”

She shrugged her shoulders,

“I don’t know, I guess because it never really came up. I’ll call her and ask her when she has time.”

As Celeste sat there listening to Daisy and her mom talk and laugh with each other she felt a twinge of not quite jealousy but of longing. It was something so small and menial but it really affected Celeste. After Daisy got off the phone with her mom and they finished up with their studying, Celeste felt this urge to talk about her mom with them,

“My mom is sick, they looked over at Celeste, she was diagnosed with onset Alzheimer’s when I was about 13 and I dropped out of school to help her when I was about 16. I became her caregiver when I turned 18 and up until a year ago that’s what I did every day. That’s why I avoid talking about her; I just wanted you guys to know.”

“That’s terrible, I’m sorry.” Neh reached over and put her hand on top of Celeste’s.”

“Um…how advanced is it?” Daisy asked.

“She needs care 24/7; she doesn’t even remember who I am anymore.”

Mina scooted closer and put her arm around Celeste,

“Why didn’t you tell us?”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“I guess because when I think about her or talk about her I feel like a terrible person for leaving her with someone else and I’ve never really dealt with that.”

“Celeste, you’re not a terrible person for wanting to live your life. You took care of her for years and put your own life on hold. That just shows what kind of person you are.” Erica smiled and squeezed her hand.

“I just feel like I abandoned her, Celeste bit on her bottom lip, like my dad did but it was just so hard to watch her slip away day after day and not be able to do anything about it.” Celeste cried.

The girls got up and surrounded her, hugging Celeste while stroking her hair and back. Telling them about her mom opened up emotions she had been pushing down for a long time. Now that she talked about her mom, the ache of missing her pushed its way into her chest and stayed there even after everyone left.


	59. Dingus and Doofus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ian brings over food and Celeste admits that she's bothered by SexxiSami leaving a comment on his picture. The girls all wear their outfits, except for one of them.

“This Lo Mein is pretty good, isn’t it?” 

Since Ian has been in the apartment, Celeste has said barely ten words to him. Even though she told him it was okay to come over, as soon as he got there Celeste felt anger towards him.

“Yeah, it’s good.” 

“How’s your sesame chicken?”

“It’s good.”

Ian nodded and resumed eating. After a few minutes of only chewing sounds and the T.V., Ian put his food down, grabbed Celeste’s out of her hand and laid it down next to his,

“What are you doing?” she asked with chopsticks still in her hand.

“Giving you the opportunity to tell me what’s wrong before I start guessing.”

“It’s nothing, I’m just tired, Celeste reached for her food but Ian pulled it away, fine, Celeste sighed and sat back against the couch, who’s SexxiSami23?”

Ian gave her a confused look,

“Sexxi Sami, he laughed then nodded, oh she’s just some girl I met at the beach and we hung out a few times but I haven’t seen or talked to her since high school.”

“So why is she commenting on your photos saying she misses you and she wants you to call her?”

“She did, Celeste nodded, I didn’t know she did that. Does it bother you?”

“Yeah, kind of, I mean have you seen her?”

“Okay, Ian grabbed his phone, did something then showed it to Celeste, there I deleted the comment and I unfollowed her. Everything okay now?”

“As soon as you give me back food.”

Ian slid Celeste’s food closer to her, leaned in and kissed her on the cheek,

“If something like this happens again just tell it bothers you. I’m not going to lose anything by unfollowing Sami.” Ian stole a piece of Celeste’s chicken and put it in his mouth.

“You sure?” Celeste asked

“Positive, Ian grabbed the remote, so what should we watch?”

Celeste smiled and laid her head on his shoulder,

“Doesn’t matter, you pick.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~The next morning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Remind me again why you decided to dress like you’re going to a rave?” Julien asked the next morning as Celeste got ready in the bathroom. She spit her toothpaste out into the sink and glared at him.

The only way she could wear the see through utility overalls without flashing every her underwear was to wear a black sparkly unitard she had left over from when she danced. Celeste pulled her hair up into a high pony tail then took out some pieces to frame her face,

“You own a red dip dyed jeans jacket with fringe and rhinestones, so you cannot judge me for what I’m wearing.” Celeste turned out the light and went across the hall to her room.

Julien flopped down next to Celeste on the bed as she was putting her sneakers on,

“Okay true but, she stood up and grabbed her phone off bedside table, it’s just very unlike you, he held his hands up, don’t get me wrong you look adorbs but just not like you.”

“Oh, Celeste gasped, you just gave me a great idea for a blog post. I write a post about wearing something I wouldn’t normally wear and how treat me because of it, like a social experiment. The rest of the girls can write one too if they want, she leaned down and gave Julien a kiss on the cheek, you just gave me a reason to wear this ridiculous outfit.”

“You’re welcome!” he shouted as she grabbed her book bag and headed out the door.

 

“You look so cool, Ian smiled, seriously it’s like that one movie about that girl, Ian winced, ah what’s it called. It’s a Disney movie and she had a really weird name…ahh that’s gonna drive me nuts!”

“Um can’t help ya with that description. Also I didn’t watch a lot of Disney until I was older.”

“Really?”

“Yeah that’s what happens when you grow up around a bunch of guys. I watched a lot of Dragon Ball Z, Pokemon and Yugioh.”

“I only got to watch that stuff if I took the remote from Grace, which I didn’t do very often because all Grace had to do was shed a tear and my parents would yell at me to give it back to her.”

“You know sometimes I wish I had a sibling growing up because it just would have been nice to have someone there to fight over the remote with, Ian smiled, or when my mom and dad got into a fight but then I’m glad it was just me. I don’t think I would have been able to take care of myself and brother or sister.”

Ian grabbed Celeste’s hand and brought it up to his lips,

“Someone should have been there to take care of you.”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders, the plastic made a crinkling sound which made her and Ian burst out laughing,

“I think the hardest thing about wearing this outfit is how loud it’s going to be in class.”

“The life of a fashion icon is a hard one to live.”

“Pffft…fashion icon, Ian nodded, yeah okay, Celeste pulled down his mirror, I look like a poorly packaged Barbie.”

Ian pursed his lips and parked his car,

“Maybe a little, Celeste flipped his mirror back and gave him the side eye, but look on the bright side, he pointed out his window, you aren’t the only one.”

Mina walked over to Ian’s car holding Stephens hand,

“I told you I can pull off anything, she let go of his hand and did a turn, these are actually pretty cute, right?!”

Celeste got out of the car and nodded,

“They actually are, she looked down at herself, I don’t think I did as good as you did.”

“No you look cute, Mina grabbed Celeste’s hands, very cool and futuristic, Mina turned Celeste around and laughed, oh my god she does look like a banana.”

Daisy laughed and pointed to Mina’s pants as she got closer,

“Dude those pants are crazy, Daisy pointed behind her, I could see you as soon as I got out of my car!”

Mina rolled her eyes and motioned to Daisy’s outfit,

“Um girl have you seen yourself, I could probably spot you a mile away. I can’t believe you actually wore a black hat to look like a banana.”

“Well yeah, who doesn’t want to look like a banana, they’re delicious!”

Celeste shrugged her shoulders,

“Oddly enough you are making me hungry for a banana, she gasped, ohhh no wait, I want to bake banana bread, Celeste looked over Daisy’s shoulder and waved, there’s Neh and her beautiful brooch!” she yelled to her.

“Thank you, Neh did a slow turn, I went for an all green look today to really look like a giant frog.”

“It’s actually not that bad.” Daisy leaned in and looked at the brooch.

“Yeah, green really makes your eyes pop Neh.” Mina gestured with her hands.

Ian leaned over Celeste’s shoulder; he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek.

“You know I don’t know if it’s the clothes or what but you’re kinda turning me on.”

Celeste turned around to face him and draped her arms around his neck. Neh, Mina and Daisy were comparing outfits behind them,

“Really, he nodded, so I guess you have a secret plastic clothes fetish or something.”

“I don’t think it’s the clothes, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, I think it’s the girl in them, Celeste looked around then turned back to Ian and pointed to herself, yes you doofus.”

“Aww you’re so sweet dingus.” Celeste smushed his cheeks together.

“Hey where’s Erica?” Daisy asked.

Celeste looked around the parking lot but she didn’t see Erica or her car anywhere, In fact, the parking lot was mostly empty,

“I don’t know but, Celeste pulled out her phone, we’re going to be late for class.” She said to Ian.

“She might be running late, Daisy took her phone out, I’ll text her and see where she is. See you guys later.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In class with Mina~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Celeste, she sat up straighter, do you mind if I use your blog to show the class an example of what a professional blog should include?”

Celeste shook your head,

“Uh no I don’t mind at all and it’s not just my blog, she motioned to Mina next to her, Mina a few others help with it too.”

Mina smiled and glanced over at Celeste out of the corner of his eye. She didn’t like having all of the credit for the blog even though she initially came up with it and most of the posts were suggested by her or approved by her.  But the look and layout of the blog was mostly Nehemie. Celeste couldn’t have made it look that good without her.

“He said the blog looked professional, Mina beamed as her and Celeste walked out of class, Mr. Scowls A Lot And Hates His Job, said something nice about the blog. I’m shocked.”

Celeste laughed and pointed to Mina’s pants,

“I can tell. Honestly I don’t know what’s louder, your outfit or mine.”

“I don’t care if it’s loud, I just don’t want blind someone.” She raised her leg up and pointed one of the sequins at Celeste. She held up her hand and laughed,

“Okay yeah, your right. I didn’t even know Mr. Scow knew about the blog. I just assumed only students were reading the posts and leaving comments.”

“Guess not, oh speaking of comments. What’s this I hear about some Instahoe leaving a comment on Ian’s pics?”

Celeste pursed her lips,

“It’s nothing. It’s old news. I told Ian it bothered me so he deleted the comment and unfollowed her.”

“Good, because you guys are too good for each other, Mina put her hand on Celeste’s shoulder, seriously, I have a bit of an advantage dating your boyfriends best friend and Stephen is constantly telling me every time he catches Ian smiling at his phone because you texted him or showing you’re your pictures to the guys at the gym and not just like pictures of you, pictures of your paintings. That boy is your number one fan.”

Celeste blushed and rubbed the back of her neck,

“I didn’t know all of that. It’s weird to hear that someone cares about me that much, Celeste shrugged her shoulders, I’ve never had that before. Sometimes I feel like I don’t deserve it.”

“Aww Celeste, Mina wrapped her arms around her, you do deserve it.”

The sound of Mina’s pants and Celeste’s overalls made them both laugh and look around,

“We look ridiculous.” Celeste wiped away the tears blurring her vision.

“Yes we do, Mina laughed, want a ride to your therapy session?”

“No it’s okay, I’ve got homework I need to finish for therapy and I can do it easier on the bus.”

 


	60. Waiting Till Marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste has her therapy session and Teresa makes her read the letter out loud instead of just giving it to her. When Ian picks Celeste up she notices that he's dressed nicer than normal. After a quick change they head to the restaurant but before they can make it inside hormones take over Celeste. 
> 
> I want to do a little experiment to see how people are liking the story or if there's anything that want to happen or for me to change or if they think they know what's going to happen. You know just to have some sort of engagement with my readers. So leave a quick comment if you read it and like it! Thanks!!

“Before you ask, I am aware that I look crazy.” Celeste laid her book bag down and sat on the chair across from Teresa.

“It’s definitely an interesting look, Teresa laughed, but I have worn many eccentric outfits in my day.”

“It’s just something my friends and I decided to do, Celeste laughed then took out her notebook, I did what you told me to do and wrote a note to Josh but I did it in third person, is that okay?” she ripped it out and handed it to Teresa.

“That’s fine, Teresa took it then glanced over at Celeste, actually I want you to read it out loud to me.” she handed it back to Celeste.

She stared at the paper, wishing it would disappear or that she hadn’t written it in the first place. Her hand shook as she reached for it. She cleared her throat several times before reading the first line,

“Dear Josh, Celeste has some things she would like to say to you.

Teresa smiled and urged her to keep going"...the first thing is that you took away something that has taken her a long time to find again, her self-worth. You were her friend and friends are supposed to build you up not tear you down and make you feel like your body isn’t your own.

Celeste stopped to clear her throat again"...the second thing you did was make me scared to let anyone close. I’ve compared so many guys to you and looked for your red flags in the eyes of someone who thinks I’m beautiful,

Celeste bit on her bottom lip,"... it’s not fair to him or me. The third thing you did was make me hate myself, she furrowed her brows, I hate myself for overlooking your wandering eyes and hands. I hate myself for trusting you and not trusting myself. I hate,

Celeste paused and shook her head,"... no you know what, she crumbled up the paper and threw it on the floor, ...I don’t hate myself anymore because I didn’t do anything wrong, he did. He shouldn’t have grabbed my ass every time he went in for a hug. He shouldn’t have pushed me into a corner and tried to kiss me. He shouldn’t have done any of the stuff he did.” Celeste cried into her hands.

Teresa nodded,

“You’re right; he shouldn’t have done any of that. You told him multiple times that your weren’t comfortable or pushed him away or told him no, Teresa handed her a tissue, that’s why I wanted you to write it all down so you could start to change how you feel about it.”

Celeste blew her nose and took another tissue,

“I didn’t even realize when I was writing it that I wrote all of that stuff about hating myself. To be honest I finished writing it on the bus on my way here because I really didn’t want to write it and I’ve been kind of busy.”

“I understand, but you did it and did you notice that you started in the third person but ended up in the first?”

“Yeah when I was writing it my roommate suggested that I write it in third person until I felt comfortable.”

“That was a good suggestion, so how do you feel after writing it and reading it out loud?”

“Better than I did when I came in so I guess that’s something.” Celeste picked up the paper and shoved it in her pocket.

“That is great, see sometimes these things that we feel ashamed of hold power of us when we refuse to talk about them. Once you talk about them, the power gets returned to you.”

“Yeah, when Celeste crossed her legs it made crinkling sound which made Teresa smile, I see that now but I’m not exactly ready to share it with other people yet.”

“That’s totally fine and up to you when you share these things with other people. I just wanted you to get a little comfortable discussing it with me and yourself, Teresa looked behind her, we’re out of time for today but this was a really good session Celeste. You should feel proud of yourself.” Teresa walked Celeste over to the door.

“I am and thanks for suggesting it.”

“You’re welcome, see you next week.”

 

Celeste was about to text Ian and tell him she was done with her session when she heard someone honk their horn. She looked to her left and saw him wave his hand out the window.

“Hey, she stopped and noticed Ian’s crisp white button up shirt, wow you look…very fancy. Where exactly are we going?”

“It’s a surprise, he grabbed her hand and kissed it, how was your session?”

“It was good, she removed her hand, um can we stop at my place so I can change?”

“Sure if you want.” he laughed and leaned over to give her kiss.

As Ian drove back to her place Celeste kept glancing over at him then looking away when he caught her. She thought Ian always looked good, he could be wearing and tank top and basketball shorts and look like a model but the white shirt with the sleeves rolled up was her favorite look so far.

“You’re staring.” Ian smirked.

Celeste nodded,

“I am, you should wear white more often, Ian arched his brows, there’s just something about a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, it’s a very classic look.”

Ian nodded,

“I will have to remember that.” He winked.

As soon as Ian parked Celeste hopped out of his car,

“I’ll be right back.” she yelled over her shoulder and ran up the stairs.

 

As soon as Celeste got in the door she undid the overalls and tossed them to the side. The first thing Celeste spotted when she opened the closet was the black and white floral dress she bought from the thrift shop the other day. She took off the uni-tard and slipped the dress over her head. The slit was a little higher then she originally thought and the sleeves were a little short too so Celeste just pushed them up.

“Okay, she looked in the mirror and did a turn, not bad, she took out my hair and fluffed it up, there fancy date approved.”

Celeste grabbed her wallet out of her book bag and put in black a cross body purse, applied some tinted chap stick and left the apartment.

 

The whole way over to the restaurant her eyes never left Ian. It was like someone shot her with a needle full of teenage hormones or maybe it wasn’t until now that Celeste really felt an intense attraction to someone. Ian was holding her hand and gently rubbing his thumb against her knuckles but she was picturing his hands on less innocent places.

He pulled into the parking lot and reached in the back seat,

“Here, he handed her a single pink Rose, I didn’t know what kind to get you so I just went with…”

Celeste cut him off by pulling him in for a kiss. She laid the flower on his dashboard and wrapped both of her arms around him. He jumped a little at her boldness but within a second his one hand was cradling her face and his other was on the back of her head, keeping either of them from pulling away.

♪♪ _Blue jeans, white shirt, walked into the room you know you made my eyes burn. It was like James Dean, for sure. You’re so fresh to death and sick as ca-cancer_ ♪♪

She kept trying to pull herself closer to him, touching and grabbing his face and hair. His lips moved down to her chin and neck. The only sounds she could hear were there lips smacking every once in a while and the song playing softly in the background. Celeste licked her lips and tilted her head to the side. A small moan escaped from her lips , which was normally when one of them would pull away, but neither of them wanted to stop.

♪♪ _Love you more than those bitches before. Say you'll remember, oh baby. I will love you 'til the end of time._ ♪♪

“Ian.” Her voice came out raspy.

“Yeah.” He answered and went right back to kissing her.

“Did…you…make…a…reservation?” Celeste said in between kissing him.

“Nope…we…can…be…as…late…as…we…want.”

“Good.” she gently tugged on his bottom lip and watched his reaction.

The moment that made them both stop was when a guy in a Mercedes pulled up alongside them and honked his horn. Ian and Celeste both flipped the guy off at the same time which made them crack up.

“Okay, we should probably head inside before your first time happens in my car and trust me you don’t want that.”

Celeste pulled down Ian’s mirror and fixed her hair,

“Well that’s okay because I’m not having sex until I’m married.” she said to gauge his reaction, not because it was what she actually wanted.

“Really, Celeste smiled and nodded, okay then I guess we should just go get married now.”

“Because you want to have sex right now.” she questioned

“No, she rolled her eyes, okay yeah after that ,Ian looked at the clock, 26 minute make out session I am very open to the idea of having sex, he smoothed her hair behind her ear and gently rubbed his thumb against her cheek, but it’s also because spending my life with anyone but you would be tragic and dull.”

Celeste smirked and peered up at him,

“That was a pretty smooth answer Ian Reyes. Oh and I wasn’t serious about waiting for marriage to have sex, she looked away, I know that I want it to be you, I’m just trying to get there.”

“Hey, he kissed her forehead then gazed into my eyes, there’s no rush. I can wait until you trust me fully, he laid his hand against her cheek which was warm from all the heavy breathing she just did, I’m not going anywhere.” He reassured her.

 

 

 

Photo credit: http://viemagazine.com/article/un-maitre-culinaire/

 

 

 


	61. Wrong Person

A text message between Zara and Celeste while I write the next parts :)


	62. Crime Documentaries and Blueberry Muffins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste's morning starts out a little rough but it gets better once Ian shows up. Mina and Celeste suggest to Daisy that she makes a profile for a dating app. And Celeste notices something going on with Erica.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The next morning~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Good morning, Rinaldo started then stopped, rough night?” he asked.

Celeste tried to run her fingers through her hair but she gave up. She poured herself some coffee and leaned up against the counter,

“I was up kind of late finishing up my portfolio for my art class, Celeste took a sip and smiled to herself, and I was talking to Ian for a while too.”

“Ohhh I see that smile, Rinaldo laughed and looked over his shoulder at the flower Ian gave her in a small vase, did he give you that?”

She nodded eagerly,

“Yeah, I mean when he said he wanted to go out I didn’t know it was going to be a fancy place. He was wearing a white button up shirt and some nice pants and he looked so good. I mean he always looks good but it definitely stirred up some feelings in me that I haven’t had in a long time.” She blushed

“Ugh yes, a classic look like that it so hot!.” Rinaldo fanned himself.

“Who’s hot?” Julien came into the kitchen and stood next to Rinaldo.

Rinaldo gave Julien a kiss and ruffled his hair,

“Good morning sleep head. We were just talking about Celeste’s boo.”

“Ohhh, I love talking about Cian.” Julien beamed.

“Cian?” Rinaldo asked.

Celeste sighed and rolled her eyes,

“Yeah that’s what Julien calls us, put Celeste and Ian together and you get Cian.”

“Aww that is cute. So what we would be?” he asked Julien.

“Uhhh Rulien, Rinaldo shook his head, Jinaldo?”

Celeste rinsed out her coffee mug and put it in the sink,

“While you two figure that out, I’m going to go try to make this, she motioned to her face, look like I got more than 4 hours of sleep.”

It was a task that proved to be difficult. The only time Celeste felt like she looked her age or older was when she wasn’t sleeping well. Celeste did the best she could to cover the bags under her eyes and make herself look more awake but she wasn’t pleased with the end result. She brushed her teeth then headed across the hall to her room.

Celeste threw on a pair of dark wash jeans, a grey chunky knit sweater and brushed out her hair.

“Celeste, your other half is here!” Julien yelled.

She grabbed her book bag and turned out her light before leaving the room.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Celeste asked as Ian leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

“I sent you a text you to let you know I was waiting but you never said anything back so I decided to just come up.”

“You did, she pulled her phone out and looked through her messages, that’s weird I didn’t get it. Sorry I made you wait.”

“It’s okay, you’re worth it.” He smiled and put his arms around him.

“Awwww.” Julien and Rinaldo said at the same time.

Celeste looked over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes,

“Really?”

Julien grabbed Rinaldo’s hand and huffed,

“Okay fine we’ll just go sit in the living room and talk about how cute Cian is when you leave.” Julien blew Ian and Celeste a kiss and went into the living room.

“Cian?” Ian asked.

Celeste opened her mouth to answer Ian but before she could say anything Julien yelled from the couch,

“That’s your ship name, you know if you put Celeste and Ian together, Cian.”

“Aww that’s cute, we have fans.” Ian smushed Celeste’s cheeks together and gave her a kiss.

“Okay, she pushed him away, we’re leaving now. Don’t forget to take trash and recycling out before you leave!” Celeste yelled to Julien over her shoulder.

“I know!” he shouted as she closed the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~In the cafe~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste and Ian got to the cafeteria at the same time Erica did and she was walking in with Zara.

“Oh hey, guys. Didn’t see you there.” Erica smiled and gave Celeste a hug.

Zara waved then pointed behind her,

“Shoot I forgot my book in my car, I better go get it quick. I’ll see you guys later.” She hurried off without saying another word.

Erica sighed then walked with Celeste and Ian into the cafeteria where Mina, Stephen and Nehemie were already waiting for them.

“Oh hey, Celeste I got a message about the blog from someone who wanted to write an Anonymous post, is that okay?” Erica asked.

She nodded,

“Uh yeah that’s fine as long as it’s not a ransom note or a manifesto about why the moon is made of cheese, Erica smiled, then we can post it anonymously.”

“Cool, I’ll send it to you so you can work your Celeste magic.”

Celeste wiggled her fingers in front of her and laughed as Ian came back from getting something to eat. He placed a blueberry muffin in front of her,

“They were all out of Banana nut so I hope blueberry is okay.”

“It is, she leaned over and kissed him, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Ugh ,Daisy groaned, I want someone to buy me muffins.” She pouted like a child.

Mina leaned across the table to Daisy,

“Why don’t you try a dating app?”

Daisy shook her head rapid fire, her long dark hair bouncing around her face,

“No way! You know who uses those apps, Celeste looked at Ian and collectively they shrugged their shoulders, serial killers looking for their next victim, she mumbled something in Spanish, no way is it going to be me.”

“The likelihood of that happening is pretty low actually because there aren’t that many active serial killers in the U.S.” Ian ripped off a piece of her muffin and ate it.

Everyone stared at him with confused looks on their faces.

“How do you know that?” Celeste asked and leaned back slightly.

“I watch crime documentaries with my grandmother when I visit her.”

“Aww that’s so cute.” Stephen poke Ian’s shoulder.

They started smacking each other until Ian tipped his chair back to far and Celeste had to push it back up. Ian pointed to Stephen,

“What he started it!”

“Anyway,  she turned towards Daisy, I think Mina is right, you should make a profile just to talk to some guys and let them tell you how gorgeous and funny you are.”

“Damn straight.” Mina said.

Celeste looked over at Erica who had been preoccupied by her phone since they sat down. Eric quickly glanced up and put her phone down,

“You okay.” Celeste mouthed to her as Ian and Stephen challenged each other to a push up contest.

Erica nodded and stood up,

“I’m going to head to class early and study before my test. See you guys later.”

 


	63. What's Going On With Erica?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm still writing the next parts which involves Celeste taking Ian to her hometown and there's a few flashbacks I want to add in to really show what life was like her before she moved in with Julien. So for now I'm adding in phone conversations between the characters.

A phone conversation between Ian and Celeste in class. 


	64. Who's Her Babe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste's teacher suggests that she turns the blog into something profitable. A text convo with her and Erica and Zara remains tight lipped about her babe.

 

After class the teacher asked Celeste if she could stay after for a few minutes. Ian gave her a kiss and told her he’d see her later. Celeste leaned against the desk in front of the teacher,

“What did you want to talk about?”

“Well I was thinking about your blog and how you could potentially make it into something more.”

“Oh okay, sure I’m open to any suggestions you might have.”

“You’re in a PR Advertising class right, Celeste nodded, so you know all about ads and sponsors, she nodded again, great so if you put ads on your blog or write sponsored posts for companies it will draw in new readers and it can be a good way to make money.”

“That sounds great but who would want to sponsor the blog?”

She handed Celeste a paper,

“I made a list for you of some places you might want to consider. It might be a good idea to try local places at first.”

“Okay, thanks I’ll take a look at this and let you know.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Text convo with Erica~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Celeste made it to her class a few minutes late but the teacher hardly noticed. She sat down next to Zara and leaned in,

“What did I miss?”

“A guy talking about his Instagram like his pictures belong in a museum.”

“Good so I missed nothing, Zara chuckled to herself, how are you feeling?” Celeste asked

Zara gave her a confused look then smiled,

“Oh yeah no I’m fine, I really just needed a day off.”

“With your babe, Zara’s eyes widened, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. It’s none of my business but I get it, it’s easy to get caught up when you’re with someone and all you want to do is spend time with them because they make you feel good.”

Zara smiled and relaxed her body,

“Yeah they do, she glanced away, I just don’t like talking about that stuff.”

Celeste held up her hands,

“Say no more.”

 


	65. You're A Saint

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste and Erica talk about what's going on with her. Julien makes Celeste do something with the paintings from her and Ian's museum date.
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Hey just wondering how everyone is liking the story and the fake Instagram posts? I kinda want to make them real but that would be a lot of accounts to take care of lol.

Celeste and Erica sat outside a cafe, drinking their iced coffees and talking about a T.V show they both watch,

“I mean I thought I wasn’t going to like it as much because of reading the subtitles but after a while you get used to it.”

Celeste nodded and took a sip of her drink,

“I know and I swear I’ve watched so many episodes that I’m starting to say certain words in Norwegian, she laughed then leaned in, so how are you really because today you seemed kind of off.”

“I’m okay, Erica sighed and shook her head, no I’m not that’s a lie. I just hate keeping her a secret and I’m ready to tell people, well certain people, but she is petrified of people finding out. I mean I’m scared too but I feel like I only get to be with her when no one else is around and I just, Erica glanced up at Celeste, want to tell someone.”

“Well you can tell me, I promise I won’t say anything.”

“Okay, Erica took a deep breath and glanced around, wow my heart is beating so fast right now. Okay, okay I’m just going to say it, I’m in love Zara.”

Celeste tried to act more surprised than she was,

“What, oh my god wow, that’s awesome! I’m so happy for you!”

Erica smiled then rolled her eyes,

“You already knew didn’t you?”

Celeste winced and shrugged her shoulders,

“Kind of but I’m still super happy for you and for her.”

“Thanks, Erica sighed and shook her hands out, phew it felt really good to tell someone that.”

Celeste glanced up at Erica,

“Have you told her?” she suggested.

Erica shook her head and leaned back in her chair,

“No, she crossed her arms over her chest, I’m scared that I’ll push her away and sometimes I feel like she’s already got one foot already out the door.”

Before Celeste could say anything Erica continued and went on a bit of a rant for a few minutes. She just sat there and listened, added the occasional nod or a comment to the conversation.

Erica let out a huge sigh and laughed. Celeste put her hand on Erica’s shoulder,

“You feel better?”

“Yeah, Erica tucked her hair behind her ear, sorry to dump all of that on you, I guess I’ve been holding it in for a while.”

“It’s fine, we all need to rant sometimes. Speaking of rant, you just reminded me that I need to make a therapy appointment for next week.”

“Can I ask you a question about therapy, Celeste nodded, does it actually work or make your feel better?”

“Sometimes it does and other times, she sighed, it makes me feel way more messed up than I thought I was. It all depends on the day and what I’m talking about. Have you ever been to therapy?”

Erica shook her head,

“No my parents don’t really believe in it. They’re kind of old fashioned. They believe in bottling up anger for years and completely losing it over something minor.”

Celeste laughed then nodded,

“I see, well if you’re worried about them finding out you can always talk to someone on the phone or online. They have different categories so you can talk to someone who can give actual good advice. I did it for a bit but I really needed the one on one session for it to work. Everyone is different though so you might want to check it out.”

“I think I will, thanks Celeste.”

Before Celeste got out of the car Erica turned towards her and hugged her. It wasn’t just a quick hug. It felt like Erica was using every bit of her strength to show Celeste how thankful she was for her,

“Thank you Celeste for everything, she pulled away and wiped a few tears away, oh and don’t worry about that email you got, Celeste got her a confused look. The anonymous person was me. it was about Zara and I and, she shook her head, I don’t think it’s a good idea to post it.”

“Okay, I won’t post it. Call me if you need anything.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Later on in the apartment~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“God damn it, Celeste can you please grace me with your prescience in the laundry room!” Julien shouted.

Celeste placed her laptop down, jumped out of bed and ran down the hall in a panic,

“What happened? What’s wrong?”

Julien glared and pointed to the paintings from her and Ian’s museum date,

“You know I love weird abstract art and I would never discourage you from expressing yourself but you have to move these paintings out of here they take up too much room and, Julien lifted his hand and shoved it in Celeste’s face, they ruined my manicure.”

Celeste batted Julien’s hand away and nodded,

“Okay, Okay, I will find a place for the one Ian and I painted and find out where the girl lives so I can give hers to her.”

“You’re a saint.” he tried to make a dramatic exit but ended up dropping a pair of his underwear. Celeste pursed her lips together as he turned around to grab them,

“Love you JuJu.” She leaned up against the door frame.

He narrowed his eyes and smiled,

“I love you too but I’m still angry about my manicure.”

Celeste followed him down the hall,

“Would it help if I made those chewy oatmeal bars with chocolate chips?”

He paused and looked at her over his shoulder,

“It might.” He walked into his room.

“And, I’ll fix your nails.” Celeste reluctantly sighed.

Julien dropped his clothes on the floor and turned to hug Celeste,

“You’re forgiven.”

 

photo credit: https://estheradeniyi.com/trendy-stunning-manicure-ideas-for-short-acrylic-nails-design/


	66. Text Chat With Kara

This is a chat between Kara and Celeste about meeting up so that Celeste can give Kara her painting

 


	67. More Than You Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste asks Ian about going on a little road trip to her hometown. She notices some uneasiness when Julien mentions family dinners and some sweet fluffy moments because I felt like it :)
> 
> Hey everyone who reads this but doesn't comment...which is pretty much everyone lol. My plans for this story are a little all over the place. I keep getting distracted because I've actually been writing an Erica and Zara part to this (which would be a little like the OG Even and Isak story line) but I'm not sure if I want to post it or not. Also I've been obsessed with Wtfock S3 but, I'm still writing this story just gotta fill in some of the details and menial things :)

Celeste grabbed the oat meal bars out of the oven and laid them on the counter. Julien tried to reach for one but Celeste slapped his hand and shook her head,

“You gotta wait till they cool off, her phone buzzed against the dining room table, can you go grab my phone for me?” she asked Julien.

Celeste took the oatmeal bars off the baking sheet and placed them onto a plate.

“Hey babe, Celeste glanced over at Julien, nothing much just being cutsey and stuff.”

She realized what he was doing and rolled her eyes,

“He’s gonna know that’s not me.” she whispered.

Julien shushed her and leaned against the counter,

“Yeah well you know me, Julien laughed then sighed, yeah she’s right here, he handed the phone to Celeste, he figured it out.”

“Told ya, she pointed to the trash, do me a favor and take the trash out. Please!”

“Fine.” Julien reached behind Celeste and grabbed an oatmeal bar.

“So what gave it away?” she asked Ian and put the oatmeal bars on a plate.

“I never have and I don’t think I ever will, hear you say the word cutesy.”

“That is very true, so what are you up to?” She placed the baking sheet back on the stove and made sure the oven was turned off.

“Nothing, just taking a little break from my work out.”

Celeste heard someone talking in the background,

“Are you with the guys?”

“Yeah, Stephen just left to go hang out with Mina so it’s just Garret, Jay and I.”

“Cool, so the reason I’m calling you is because I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go on a mini road trip with me tomorrow?”

“Sure, I’m always in the mood  for a road trip, speaking of which, I could take a little road trip when I’m done here and come visit you if you want me to.”

Celeste smiled to herself and picked up an oatmeal bar,

“Okay but the road trip I’m talking about is a little bit further way.” She took a bite and immediately dropped it back on the plate.

“How much further?”

“Like my hometown further which is about 2 and half to three hours away, depending on the traffic?” Celeste placed the phone on the counter and put it on speaker phone so she could pour herself something to drink.

“Okay cool, so what are we going to do in your hometown, elope perhaps?”

“Ha yeah right you wish, she picked the phone back up and turned off speaker phone as Julien came back in the door, no do you remember that girl I was talking to at the museum paint thing?”

“Yeah I remember her.”

“Well she’s from my hometown so I thought we could meet up with her and give her the painting she did so Julien and I can stop running into it when we go in the laundry room.”

“Ha, okay sounds like a plan. While were there maybe you can show me around?”

“Alright but the tour of my hometown is going to be short and pretty boring.”

“I’ll be the judge of that. I’m going to head back and finish up here. See you soon.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Celeste and Julien in the living room~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Anyway, I told him that if he wanted me to come to Thanksgiving dinner with him I would but he said he doesn’t want to subject me to the “conservative” side of his family, Julien rolled his eyes, which is just a really nice way of saying most of my family are going to hate you and everything you stand for but like I’m used to that. Two years ago on Christmas my ten year old cousin called me a faggot so I told him Santa wasn’t real and….”

Someone knocked on the door and made Julien pause.

“It’s probably Ian, Celeste leaned back and yelled, just come in.”

The door opened and Ian poked his head in,

“Hey, he came in and closed the door, what are you guys up to?”

He kicked off his shoes, dropped his gym bag by the door and sat down in the chair across from Celeste and Julien. Julien gave Celeste his other hand and blew on his fingers to dry them,

“We were talking about why I don’t drink around my family anymore, Ian furrowed his brows, it’s a long story but originally we were talking about me meeting Rinaldo’s family for Thanksgiving.”

“Oh, yeah right that’s this month huh.” Ian rubbed the back of his neck and avoided Celeste’s gaze.

She took notice of it but decided not to press the issue, not yet anyway.

“Oh well I have something that will make you happy, Celeste wiped some of the excess nail polish off Julien’s middle finger, I’m going to meet up with Kara tomorrow so one of the paintings will be gone.”

“Thank god, so where are you meeting her?”

“At park about uh block away from uh, Celeste glanced over at Ian, her house.”

It was also close to Celeste’s house but she didn’t want Ian to know that.

“Ohh, so does that mean Rinaldo and I will have the apartment to ourselves?” Julien winked.

“Yes JuJu, you can do all the naked yoga you want.”

“I was actually thinking something a little bit more romantic, Julien fluttered his eyelashes, possibly a dinner, some flowers and…”

Celeste held up her hand,

“Wait, you’re going to cook, Julien nodded, okay just a reminder the fire extinguisher is under the sink.”

“Ha ha, Julien stood up ruffled Celeste’s hair, okay cuties I’m off to meet Rinaldo, Julien blew Ian a kiss, don’t do anything I would do.”

Ian stood up, plopped down next to Celeste with his head in her lap. He titled his head back and smiled,

“Hey there cutie.”

Celeste ran her fingers through his head, leaned down and gave him a kiss,

“Hey there to you too, she gently twisted his hair around her finger, did you take a shower before you came here?

“Yeah I got a quick shower at the gym.”

 “Did you eat anything for dinner?”

 He reached his hand up and fiddled with Celeste’s necklace,

“I ate a protein bar, does that count?”

She shook her head and let her hair fall onto his face,

“No, it doesn’t, she motioned for him to sit up, I’ve got some left over pasta and sauce in the fridge, he followed her into the kitchen, or I can make you some chicken and rice, Celeste opened the cabinet, what are you in the mood for?”

Ian came up behind her wrapped his arms around Celeste’s waist and laid his head in the crook of her shoulder,

“Whatever you want.”

She twisted around to face him and draped her arms on his shoulders,

“I already ate so that’s why I’m asking, she laid her forehead against his, you what you want.”

Ian grinned, slid his hands down her back and picked Celeste up to sit her on the counter behind her. She let out a gasp as Ian leaned in and kissed her neck,

“I want you.” He whispered into her ear.

She shuddered and pulled his mouth to hers. Celeste wrapped her arms around him and dug her nails into his back as his hands lifted her off the counter and carried her down the hall to her room.

The thought of sleeping next to someone and being able to actually sleep, to be so relaxed in the arms of someone else that Celeste’s body told her it was okay to rest was how she knew Ian was going to be her first. She started out thinking he was exactly like the guys she hung around with and couldn’t be trusted, but he proved himself to her.

As he drifted off to sleep on his side Celeste turned, nestled in close to him and breathed in the fresh scent of his deodorant or body wash. She kissed her shoulder and gently ran her fingers through his damp hair,

“I want you too, she placed her arm around him, more than you know.”

 


	68. Going Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste gets more comfortable and shares things with Rinaldo. Just some cute moments with Celeste and Ian because I've been procrastinating writing the next part where Celeste goes back home.

Celeste woke up the next morning before Ian did, took a shower and cleaned up the dishes in the sink.  While she was drying them, Rinaldo came into the kitchen.

He stretched his arms above his head and smiled at Celeste,

“Good morning, he stuck his hand out, need a hand?”

She shrugged her shoulders and handed the towel to him,

“So Julien was talking about Thanksgiving with me last night, Rinaldo sighed and nodded, I’m guessing it’s not a welcoming environment for you or him.”

“No, I mean it never really was but when I officially came out it really split up the family into, he put his hand out palm facing up, the relatives that won’t openly be assholes and the ones that will.” Rinaldo made the motion of a scale with his hands.

“I see, she carefully lifted up one of the plates to put another underneath it and winced when they clanked together. Rinaldo whipped his head in the direction of the hallway but neither Julien nor Ian woke up, my family dinners were kind of similar except it was split into people who talked crap about my mom openly and ones that stopped talking as soon as I entered the room.”

“Where was your mom when all of this was going on?”

“She stopped going, Celeste cleared her throat, after she got sick. She has early onset Alzheimer’s and was officially diagnosed after I turned 13, but I could tell something was wrong before.”

“Oh, Rinaldo put down the towel and hugged Celeste, that must have been so hard for you, especially at that age, Celeste patted Rinaldo’s back with her arms pinned to her side, oh sorry.” He leaned back and laughed.

“It’s okay, Celeste closed the cabinet and glanced over Rinaldo’s shoulder at Julien who just walked in the kitchen, good morning JuJu.”

He walked up behind Rinaldo and hugged him from behind,

“Good morning, he kissed Rinaldo’s cheek, I thought we were going to sleep in.” he pouted.

“I did, Rinaldo ran his fingers through Julien’s tousled brown hair, it’s almost 9 o’clock.”

Julien rolled his eyes and placed his hands against Rinaldo’s chest,

“I love everything about you, except the fact that you think sleeping till nine is sleeping in.”

Celeste watched them argue playfully until she remembered that her and Ian had plans.

“Crap, I should go wake Ian up so we can leave by ten, she walked a few steps towards the hall, stopped and look over her shoulder at Julien and Rinaldo, can one of you make a pot of coffee, please?”

“I got it covered” Rinaldo untangled himself from Julien.

 

“Ian, Celeste tip toed over to the bed, wake up.” She sat on the edge and lightly touched his shoulder.

“Nooo.” Ian groaned and flipped over on his side.

She sighed and leaned over him,

“Come on, we need to get going.”

“Five more minutes.”he mumbled.

“Fine, Celeste stood up, I’m going to go brush my teeth and come back in five minutes. You better be up.”

“Thank you.” He yelled as she walked across the hall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Five minutes later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay you’re five minutes are up, Ian groaned and stuck his head out from underneath the pillow, come on get up.”

“That was not five minutes.” He glared at her.

“Yes it was.” She teased.

 Ian shoved his face back into the pillow and mumbled incoherently. Celeste picked up the pillow that fell off her bed in the middle of the night, raised it above her head and slammed it down on Ian’s back. It made a loud crack sound that neither Celeste nor Ian were expecting.

Ian gasped and flipped around onto his back,

“Owww babe!”

Celeste put her hand up to her mouth and gasped,

“Oh my god I’m sorry, she dropped the pillow and leaned down to him, are you okay?”

He winced and sat up,

“Yeah, he laughed, pulled up his shirt and twisted around to try and look at his back, kinda knocked the wind out of me for a second.”

She sat down next to him, leaned her chin against his shoulder and glanced up at him innocently. She scooted closer and pressed her lips into his neck, kissing all the way to his ear. She lightly nibbled on his ear,

“Is this better?” she whispered

Ian’s eyes closed, followed by an audible sigh and him tilting his head to look at her,

“Much better, he grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her, good morning.”

“Good morning to you too, Celeste messed up Ian’s hair with her hands, now get up!”

“Yes ma’am.”

 

Photo credit: http://amzn.to/2pvS2jX


	69. Woodsy Kid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celeste has mixed feelings about being back in her hometown and shares a special place with him before deciding whether or not to visit her mom
> 
> Hey to whoever is still reading this. Sorry I haven't updated much. I've actually been working on Erica's story because I've been getting a lot of inspiration for it. Might post it sometime so look for that :)

Celeste's mood changed drastically the closer they got. Ian reached for her hand and brought it up to his lips,

"You okay?"

“Yeah, it’s just weird to be back. Everything has changed but nothing has actually changed around here, you know what I mean?”

He nodded,

“I think it’s because you’re the one that has changed and that’s a good thing.”

Ian was right, Celeste had changed. When she left a little over a year ago, it was because she wanted to run away from her problems. It felt cowardly to her and it still made her feel shameful talking about it. Ian’s comforting words and his hand on hers made her feel a little better though,

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The park that Celeste and Ian met up with Kara was in the center of town. After Kara thanked them numerous times and tried to give Ian money, which he declined politely, Celeste took Ian by the hand and motioned over her shoulder,

“Let’s go walk around for a bit.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“So this, Celeste motioned with her hands, is where I went to school.”

Ian walked up to the gate and looked around,

“Kinda weird that there’s a cemetery right next to it”

Celeste nodded,

“Yeah but very fitting, Ian arched his brow, because school made me wanna die.”

“Oh, Ian laughed, gotcha. So did you walk to school or was it too far from your house?”

Celeste looked behind her, from where she was standing she could see her house on the corner.

“Uh no I walked.”

“Are we close to where you lived?”

She shrugged her shoulders,

“Kind of, Celeste motioned over her shoulder, you see that house on the corner there.”

“The one with the red shudders, she nodded, that’s your house?”

“Yup.” Celeste leaned up against the gate and sighed.

Ian put his arm around her and kissed her cheek,

“It’s up to you, Celeste looked over at him, do you want to go visit?”

Celeste looked away and sighed. She had been thinking about that very question ever since she realized how close Kara lived to her own house. There were a few other places she wanted to show Ian before she made that decision.

“I don’t know, she grabbed his hand, I want to show you something first and then I’ll decide.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Celeste took Ian to the woods behind her high school. The trail that her and her friends used to walk on was still there but a little overgrown.

“This is really nice, he glanced over at her, how often did you come here?”

“A lot, she paused and glanced around, it’s so quiet and peaceful.”

“So you were a woodsy kid huh?” Ian bumped his shoulder into hers.

Celeste kept walking and shrugged her shoulders,

“Not really by choice but yeah there was nothing else to do so we would just come here and make our own fun.”

“You and the guy friends you grew up with?” Ian asked cautiously.

“Yeah them and I did have one friend who was a girl but we stopped talking a long time ago.”

“How come?” he took Celeste’s hand and helped her step over a branch that had fallen in the middle of the path.

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders,

“We just grew apart and we stopped being friends after I left school to take care of my mom. I pretty much had no friends after that because I barely left the house. I was so worried that something would happen to my mom so I just stayed to make sure it didn’t.”

“Well I know I don’t know them personally but they kind of sound like dicks, a slight smile spread across her face, they should have been there for you when you were going through that.”

“It is what it is, Celeste shrugged her shoulders, and honestly I’m kind of glad we didn’t stay friends because now I know what it’s like to have good friends and people who actually care in my life.”

Ian wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek,

“Aww babe, you’re gonna make me cry.”

“It’s true though, she stopped and ran her finger down Ian’s cheek and across his jawline, I went from feeling like I had no one to having everything I wanted.”

Ian took her hand and kissed it,

“I’m glad to be included in that, Ian licked his lips and leaned in to kiss her, you know what would make this day even better.”  He stopped less than an inch from her lips and smiled.

Celeste smirked and glanced up at him,

“You’re going to tell me to go visit my mom, aren’t you.” Celeste sighed.

She shoved her face into his chest as he nodded and wrapped his arms around her,

“I know it’s not going to easy for you but, she glanced up at him, I know you miss her and she probably misses you too so why not go see her just for a bit while we’re here, okay?”

It wasn’t that Celeste didn’t want to see her mom, she did. She thought about her mom all the time. When a certain song would come on the radio while she was doing dishes, when Celeste wore clothes that were her mom’s at one point and the whole ride there. She was just afraid to see how bad her mom had gotten and if she would even remember Celeste at all. But Ian was right, if she didn’t take the opportunity to see her now who knew when she would again.

Celeste nodded and turned to walk back the way they came.

 

Photo Credit: https://www.werkaandemuur.nl/nl/werk/Wandelpad-/122002?mediumId=1&item_group_id=NL122002&size=50x75


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